Swapna Suresh fabricated complaint against Air India official, says Crime Branch chargesheet

The Kerala police team probing a case relating to a fake complaint against an Air India whistle-blower has filed the chargesheet in the case.

 

The chargesheet states that Swapna Suresh, one of the main accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling scam, had fabricated a sexual harassment complaint against AIR India official L S Sibu when she was an employee of the airlines company. Swapna has been arraigned as the second accused in the case. There are 10 accused, including Air India-SATS's 'former head Binoj Jacob.

 

Swapna conspired against Sibu when she was the manager of the human resources wing of Air India-SATS. She fabricated the complaint, using forged signatures of 17 female staff of the company, against Sibu in an act of revenge as he had filed a complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission about the rampant corruption in the company, according to the chargesheet. Sibu was the leader of a national organisation of Air India officials.

 

Swapna also produced a fake witness before the Air India officials. The complaint against Sibu was lodged with the director of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in January 2015. Following this, Sibu was transferred to Hyderabad. Sibu moved the Crime Branch of Kerala police alleging that the internal inquiry committee of Air India found him guilty without hearing his version.

 

The case drew public attention after Swapna emerged as a key accused in the diplomatic baggage smuggling scam which rocked the state. The smuggling scam is back in limelight again with a recent controversy over the memoir of senior bureaucrat M Sivasankar, another accused in the case. Sivasankar, in his book, claimed that Swapna cheated him under the pretext of friendship. In retaliation, Swapna made a series of allegations against Sivasankar, saying he manipulated her.