Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA summons Sivasankar again; to be quizzed with Swapna Suresh

Former Principal Secretary of Kerala CMO M Sivasankar was summoned again by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday for questioning in connection with gold smuggling case. As per NIA officials, Sivasankar is likely to be quizzed in the presence of key accused Swapna Suresh.

Notably, the NIA is interrogating him for the third time in the gold smuggling case. He arrived at NIA office in Kochi on Thursday afternoon for questioning in the matter.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had submitted before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court that Swapna Suresh has revealed her acquaintance with former principal secretary Sivasankar and that he was fully aware of her actions.

Last week, the NIA court in Kochi extended the judicial custody of 12 accused persons till October 8, including Swapna Suresh, in the Kerala gold smuggling case. The 12 accused were produced before the court through video conferencing.

The court also rejected Swapna's bail petition. Prior to this, she had cited her health conditions for getting bail, but the court denied the same. The court also directed the prison authorities that, they should allow Swapna to meet her relatives in prison.

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About Kerala gold smuggling case

On July 5, Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate. Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-Consulate employee now working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited. 

Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. The NIA has already registered an FIR against Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair, and others. Various sections of the UAPA were slapped against the aforesaid individuals. The NIA has alleged that the smuggled gold was not used for jewellery purpose but for funding terror activities.

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(With inputs from agency)