M Sivasankar arraigned by Customs in gold smuggling case

Customs informed a special court in Kochi that there was evidence for Sivasankar's involvement in gold smuggling using diplomatic baggage cover

Kerala Chief Minister's former principal secretary M Sivasankar is being arraigned by the Customs in gold smuggling case also.

Sivasankar was earlier arraigned by Enforcement Directorate in the case registered against gold smuggling accused, which included former employees of UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

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Customs informed a special court in Kochi on Monday that there was direct evidence for Sivasankar's involvement in gold smuggling using diplomatic baggage cover and sought permission to arrest him. The court granted the permission.

Customs is likely to record his arrest at the prison in Kochi where he is under remand now. After recording his arrest, the customs would seek his custody for interrogation.

According to sources, customs decided to arraign Sivasankar on the basis of statement of key accused Swapna Suresh about his involvement in the gold smuggling.

Earlier there were allegations that someone from Chief Minister's office contacted customs for releasing the diplomatic baggage that contained gold.

Meanwhile, Sivasankar approached the Kerala High Court seeking bail.