KOCHI: Vijesh Pillai on Friday admitted to meeting gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh, but refuted her allegation that he was running an errand for CPM state secretary M V Govindan. Meanwhile, Govindan said he would seek legal action against Swapna for levelling “baseless” allegations against him.
Swapna alleged on Thursday that she had received death threat from Pillai who met her in Bengaluru. Claiming to be representing Govindan, Pillai had also offered her Rs 30 crore for handing over all the evidence related to the gold smuggling case, she said.
Pillai said he has lodged a complaint with the DGP against Swapna for blackmail. He said he met her on March 4 to discuss a web series he was planning to launch on his online channel, Action OTT.
“I contacted Swapna on February 27 seeking permission for a web series. We met at a hotel in Bengaluru. When she asked about financial returns, I offered her 30% of the revenue. I told her that if we earn Rs 100 crore, we will give her Rs 30 crore,” he said.
Pillai said he had never met Govindan. “When Swapna asked from where I hail, I said I am from the land of M V Govindan. I haven’t met Govindan in my life,” he said.
Refuting Swapna’s allegation of him issuing a death threat, Pillai said, “I had offered to shift the shooting of the web series to Jaipur or Haryana as Swapna was concerned about her safety.”
There are no ‘Pillais’ in Kannur, says Govindan
Vijesh said: “I asked her to show me the evidence regarding the allegations against M A Yusuffali and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Swapna said she shifted to Bengaluru following threat calls. If she has got evidence against me let her produce it.” He said the Enforcement Directorate had recorded his statement two days ago based on a complaint by Swapna.
Meanwhile, Govindan said he would seek legal recourse against Swapna. “Some people have challenged me to file a case against Swapna, and I accept the challenge. We don’t have anything to hide. Let her reveal whatever she wants. We will face it legally,” he said. Govindan said he doesn’t know Vijesh Pillai. “There are no ‘Pillais’ in Kannur. How come to the name Vijesh Keyilleth was changed to Vijesh Pillai? The allegations raised by Swapna cannot be taken seriously,” said Govindan.
Meanwhile, Swapna said she stands by her words and will continue the fight. “Vijesh has admitted that he has sought proof in the gold smuggling case. He admitted to have offered me `30 crore to shift to Haryana, Jaipur or a foreign country. He has also accepted that he mentioned the name of Govindan and Yusuffali. I have informed the incident to the police and taken legal action with supporting proof. The ED and police have already started taking action, including questioning Vijesh. Now it’s for the agency to investigate the matter and take it to its logical conclusion,” she said.