Kochi: With gold smuggling key accused Swapna Suresh claiming that she is facing threat to her life, the court has ordered the jail department to arrange security for her in custody.

The court direction came on a plea filed by Swapna demanding security in view of the threat to her life. She came up with the special plea for security before the court on Tuesday in the midst of the confidential statement being recorded on her request for the last four days, in connection with the dollar smuggling case.

Swapna informed the court that four persons had visited her in the jail and demanded that the names of the VIPs should not be revealed at any cost and she should not cooperate with the investigating agencies.

She said the persons who came and met her appeared to be either police personnel or jail staff. They came to jail on November 25 and threatened her several times.

Swapna told the court that the said persons threatened that if the names of VIPs were disclosed they would destroy her and her entire family.  The key accused approached the court with the life threat complaint at a time when she is returning to the Attakulangara jail after the completion of her custody period.

Earlier, the court made it clear that it had gone through Swapna’s recent statement, found it to be alarming and hinting at the possibility of a threat to her life. Subsequently, Swapna herself informed the court about the threat through her petition.

The issues brought out in the petition are contrary to the details that came out in the recorded voice clip claimed to be that of Swapna. The previous statement referred to the pressure being mounted by the investigating officials on her to reveal the names of higher-ups. In her explanation, Swapna admitted that the audio clip contained her voice but she had no idea when it was recorded.

It is also significant that Swapna's petition comes close on the heels of the revelations made about the involvement of a VIP in dollar smuggling.

According to reports the said person who enjoys special immunity had made more than 20 foreign visits for official and unofficial purposes. There are also reports that during the last four years, he visited the UAE 14 times and Swapna had accompanied him on four occasions.

The UDF and BJP leaders have come out against the suspected links of the VIP.