Kochi: In her bail plea, Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case has alleged that she was used as a scapegoat for political gains.
In the bail plea, Swapna stated that the NIA investigation was ordered following a dispute between the state and central governments. Swapna also claimed innocence and said that she had no links with the gold smuggling, crowdfunding or making arrangements for the gold smuggling.
The bail plea has been filed in the special NIA court here. The major argument in the petition is that the NIA investigation was a result of a political war between the central and state governments. Swapna also pointed out that terrorist links cannot be charged against her.
Swapna also denied any links with the baggage carrying 30 kg of gold which was seized by the Customs department. Swapna stated that she spoke to the Customs Assistant Commissioner regarding the delay in receiving the baggage following directions from the attaché of the UAE consulate. According to Swapna, the response she received was that the delay over the baggage was caused by workload caused by the pandemic.
Stating that she was born and brought up in UAE, Swapna said she handled four languages including Arabic. Swapna also stated that she was offered the job at the UAE consulate considering her language expertise.
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