Thiruvananthapuram: Swapna Suresh was not threatened at Attakulangara women’s prison, a DIG (prisons) investigation has concluded, as the key accused in the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case claimed before court.
It is reliably learnt that the report of Ajaykumar, DIG of prisons - south zone, found that no one had threatened Swapna in prison as was stated in her petition seeking increased security. The officer is understood to have quizzed Swapna on the matter, during which she claimed she did not say that someone threatened her inside prison and that she had only signed a statement drafted by her advocate.
Ajaykumar also examined video footage to find out if anyone had visited Swapna by overlooking jail procedures. When news of the plea emerged on Tuesday, DGP (prisons & correctional services) Rishiraj Singh had ordered a probe to find out who had visited her in prison.
The examination did not reveal anything suspicious, it is learnt. The prisons department had increased Swapna’s security two weeks ago. While the prison is guarded by armed police, the cell housing Swapna has round-the-clock CCTV coverage. There is even a woman guard outside her cell.
In her plea before court, Swapna said that some persons, she would be able to identify, claiming to be prisons and police officials had visited her and warned her against disclosure of names of persons in high authority suspected to be involved in alleged criminal activities. She claimed that they had asked her not to cooperate with the investigation. Swapna said that she was threatened for several days prior to November 25 and now that her revelations before the judicial magistrate have come out in the open she is facing a threat to her life.
Singh told reporters on Friday that the investigation was limited to Attakulangara women’s prison alone and a similar exercise has been ordered in other prisons, including Ernakulam district prison and Viyyur central prison, where Swapna was housed earlier. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the government on the basis of this probe.