Swapna Suresh, the accused in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, has sought protection by a Central agency after stating that she lost trust in the Kerala government.
Moving the petition before the District and Sessions Judge on Monday, her counsel B.N. Shiv Shanker complained that she was pressured to compromise with the Chief Minister after she revealed the names of some persons whom she had included in the statements made before a magistrate. She complained that the powers that be threatened to arrest and file cases against her friend and lawyer by wantonly misusing the State machinery.
The petitioner complained that an officer and a legal team were put in charge of silencing her as well as her lawyer. A posse of policemen was posted in front of her residence as part of surveillance. She also complained that the team was using surveillance gadgets to violate her privacy and her right to liberty.
