Thiruvananthapuram: Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, facing probe in the Kerala gold smuggling case, was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from a city hospital on Wednesday, soon after a court rejected his anticipatory bail petition in the matter.
A team of ED officials reached the Ayurveda hospital here, where the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister was undergoing treatment and detained him. Sivasankar was later taken to Ernakulam by car.
Earlier in the day, the Kerala High Court passed order on two separate anticipatory bail pleas filed by Sivasankar apprehending arrest by Customs investigating the smuggling angle and ED probing the money trail in the case, dismissing them.
During the course of consideration of his bail pleas, the High Court restrained the ED and Customs from arresting Sivasankar, suspended IAS officer and former principal secretary to the Chief Minister, till October 28.
Strongly opposing the plea, the ED had submitted that the custodial interrogation of the officer was required as he was not cooperating with the investigation.
The agency had stated that the role of Sivasankar in the gold smuggling case was still being probed and granting him anticipatory bail will adversely affect the investigation.
In a written statement, the ED had submitted that Sivasankar appears to be connected with the serious economic offence allegedly committed by prime accused Swapna Suresh.
The Customs also had opposed the anticipatory bail application, alleging that Sivasankar was not providing clear answers to important questions in connection with the case.
Refuting the charges against him, Sivasankar had submitted that he was being hounded by the agencies in the name of investigation in the case.
Read: Kerala High Court tells Customs not to arrest Sivasankar
He had submitted he was not holding any influential position in the government at present and claimed that he even was not getting a hotel room due to the case.
Seeking anticipatory bail, Sivasankar had said he has complied with all the directions till now and there is no scope for him absconding also.
Earlier on October 22, the National Investigation Agency informed the court that it was not considering making Sivasankar an accused now and that his anticipatory bail plea need not be considered.
Central agencies---National Investigating Agency, Customs and the Enforcement Directorate, are conducting separate inquiries into the seizure of gold worth nearly Rs 15 crore from a "diplomatic baggage" at Thiruvananthapuram International airport on July 5.
The Customs had arrested PS Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, on July 5 for allegedly smuggling gold in a diplomatic baggage destined for the Consulate. Another former Consulate staff Swapna Suresh and her associate Sandip Nair were arrested by the National Investigation Agency from Bengaluru.
Vijayan removed Sivasankar as his Principal Secretary and then as IT Secretary after it allegedly surfaced that Swapna and Sivasankar were close friends.
(With inputs from agencies)
