KOLLAM: “We heard that Jayashankar had married a girl with a modern outlook. She didn’t come here often. She came only two times. We saw her only from a distance,” – these were the words of a merchant living near Chandanathoppu. He was referring to gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh.

Locals and the merchant came to realize that Swapna is their neighbor’s daughter-in-law only after her photos and videos started appearing on TV channels in connection with the gold smuggling case.

Jayashankar’s parents had not invited any local resident to their elder son’s marriage. The marriage was in Guruvayur. Only their close relatives attended the marriage.

Swapna has come to Jayashankar’s house only two times after the marriage. She reached the house in some posh car and behaved totally in a hi-tech manner, according to the neighbours. Some of them have heard that it was Swapna who found a job for Jayashankar’s brother.

Swapna used to tell many people that Jayashnakar was a deputy collector; she also introduced him to VIPs using that same label but nobody in the locality cared for it. Jayashankar also didn’t have much contacts outside the house and hence nobody bothered whether he was coming to the house or not.

The investigation team had first reached Kollam to question the owner of a prominent beauty parlour there. They also enquired about the ambulance that reached Kollam from Thiruvananthapuram in a midnight.

However, the team has not visited Jayashankar’s house in Kollam till now.