An accused in Kerala's gold smuggling case, Sandeep Nair, alleged that he was under pressure by an investigating official of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to name the Chief Minister and other state ministers as well as the son of a prominent person in the case. He wrote this in a letter to the Ernakulam District Sessions Judge, The Hindu reported.
Sandeep wrote that P Radhakrishnan, who was leading the investigation on money laundering in connection with the gold smuggling case, said that Sandeep's bail application will not be opposed if he named these prominent persons, including CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Sandeep has been in custody in connection with the case for eight months. He is now housed at the Poojappura Central Jail in Thiruvananthapuram. Radhakrishnan also offered to help him with a good lawyer if he named the people suggested by the official, Sandeep wrote in his letter, forwarded to the court by the superintendent of the jail.
He further alleged that he was tortured in jail and denied sleep. Radhakrishnan had cooked up several details in the final complaint, Sandeep wrote.
The court has sought a report from the ED about Sandeep's letter. The case will be heard on March 26.
Two women police officials recently alleged that the ED had forced the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh, to give a statement against CM Pinarayi. A civil police official stated that ED officials pressurised Swapna to name the CM before a probe team of Kerala police. The police were inquiring about a video clip purported to be that of Swapna. In the voice clip too, it is alleged that the ED forced her to name the CM.
A day later, the testimony of another civil police officer also emerged, stating that the ED had forced Swapna to name CM Pinarayi in the dollar smuggling case. The officer said that the ED officials promised to make Swapna an approver if she named the CM. The woman officer who was on security duty while the ED questioned Swapna also named ED official Radhakrishnan as making these offers to the accused if she named the CM.