KOCHI: Gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh on Thursday alleged that she received a death threat from a man claiming to be a representative of CPM state secretary M V Govindan. In a Facebook Live video from Bengaluru, Swapna claimed Vijay Pillai met her in a hotel in Whitefield on March 4 on the pretext of taking her interview. In the meeting, Vijay claimed he was engaged by Govindan for negotiation, Swapna said.
“Vijay Pillai said a group had been formed to finish me off. He said the team will ensure I am either killed or put behind bars. It was a clear threat to my life,” Swapna claimed.
Swapna said Vijay demanded that she hand over all the evidence related to the gold smuggling case and settle down in Jaipur or Haryana. “He offered me `30 crore for it. He said they were also willing to help me shift to Malaysia or the UK where I could begin my life anew. He said they would provide me a fake passport within a month to go to either country. After that none should know about my whereabouts,” she alleged.
Swapna said Vijay had contacted her posing as a lawyer and had sought to interview her for his channel ‘Action OTT’. She said she went to Hotel Zuri in Whitefield with her two children and Sarith, another accused in the gold smuggling case.
Swapna says she is not ready for compromise
“Vijay Pillai started by requesting that I share all the evidence, including voice clips and pictures. Soon, he started listing the challenges I would face if the story is published,” Swapna said.
According to her, Vijay also claimed that Lulu Group chairman Yusuffali M A would harm her as he had been served a notice by the Enforcement Directorate. “Vijay told me that Yusuffali has shares in all airports in Kerala and can put me in jail by placing a contraband in my luggage,” she alleged, adding that Vijay also asked her to apologise to people for making false allegations.
“I understood that my death is certain. However, I am not ready for any compromise. Pinarayi Vijayan is trying to sell the state to build a business empire for his daughter. I will continue my fight and expose him,” she said.
Swapna said she had submitted a complaint with the help of her lawyer Krishna Raj to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the home minister, DGP and the ED regarding the threat to her life. Raj later shared photos of the meeting and claimed the person who met her was Vijesh Keyilleth, a businessman in Kannur.