Swapna Suresh marries co-accused P.S. Sarith in quiet Kochi ceremony
SWAPNA Suresh, a key accused in the sensational 2020 Kerala diplomatic-channel gold smuggling case, has married P.S. Sarith, another accused in the same case, in a low-key ceremony in Kochi.
The wedding took place at the Nettoor Vadakke Pattupurakkal Temple in Kochi, with only close relatives and friends reportedly in attendance.
Swapna announced the marriage through social media, sharing photographs from the ceremony and seeking prayers and blessings for her new life.
The marriage brings together two individuals whose names became nationally prominent following the seizure of nearly 30 kg of gold worth about ₹14.82 crore from diplomatic baggage at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in July 2020.
The gold had allegedly been concealed in a consignment that arrived from Dubai and was being cleared as diplomatic cargo connected to the UAE Consulate.
According to reports, Swapna, a former employee of the UAE Consulate, and Sarith, who had worked as a local PRO for the Consulate, have been living together in Kochi for some time. Both are originally from Thiruvananthapuram.
The marriage was kept away from the glare of publicity. The identity of the groom was not initially revealed when Swapna posted photographs announcing that she had married. It was subsequently reported that Sarith was the person who had married her.
In her social-media post, Swapna said the decision to marry was intended to build a life together and create an environment in which their children could learn truth, respect and values. She also asked people to pray that she would remain a sumangali—a married woman—until the end of her life.
The wedding is reported to be Swapna's third marriage and Sarith's second. Reports say Swapna's first marriage took place in 2000 and ended in 2008. She subsequently married Jayasankar in 2011, but that relationship also ended.
The couple's names have been closely associated with the Kerala gold-smuggling investigation since July 2020.
On July 5, 2020, Customs officials seized 30.2449 kg of gold, valued at approximately ₹14.82 crore, concealed in diplomatic cargo at Thiruvananthapuram airport. The cargo was purportedly destined for the UAE Consulate and enjoyed special customs privileges.
Court records later described investigations into allegations that Sarith, Swapna and others were involved in transporting gold concealed in diplomatic baggage.
Sarith was arrested by Customs soon after the seizure. Swapna, who had previously worked at the UAE Consulate and later with a Kerala government-linked IT project, became one of the principal accused investigated by multiple central agencies.
The NIA subsequently registered a case against Sarith, Swapna, Sandeep Nair and Faisal Fareed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The investigation subsequently expanded to the Enforcement Directorate, Customs and other agencies, and the case became one of Kerala's most politically consequential criminal investigations in recent years. The alleged links of the accused with senior bureaucrats and political figures added considerably to the controversy surrounding the case.
Swapna remained a prominent and controversial figure even after her release from custody. She has subsequently made several public allegations concerning the gold-smuggling investigation and political figures, while various agencies have continued investigations into related cases.
Sarith's name has also appeared in other investigations connected with the period. In July 2026, for example, the CBI's chargesheet in the Wadakkanchery LIFE Mission case named Sarith as the fifth accused and Swapna as the sixth accused, while stating that the investigation into some other aspects was continuing.
The couple's decision to marry therefore comes years after their names first became synonymous with one of Kerala's biggest smuggling controversies.
For now, however, the wedding itself was deliberately private. Away from the political controversy and courtroom proceedings that have followed them for years, Swapna and Sarith have begun what they describe as a new chapter of their lives together.
