Kerala gold smuggling case: Principal secy to CM removed over alleged involvement in case

Kerala Chief Minister's Office on Tuesday decided to remove top IAS officer M Sivasankar from the post of Principal Secretary to the chief minister. The officer was removed after the Opposition alleged his involvement over suspicion in a high-profile gold smuggling case.

The move comes a day after the Opposition alleged that IAS officer Sivasankar tried to shield one of the suspects in a gold smuggling case. Swapna Suresh, a former employee with the UAE consulate is believed to be the main suspect in connection with the smuggling of 30 kg gold which was seized from the diplomatic baggage section at Thiruvananthapuram airport on Sunday.

Diplomatic shield to gold smuggling?

On Sunday, the customs unit of Thiruvanathapuram airport confirmed the seizure of 30 kg of gold which was smuggled from UAE. The gold was hidden inside various equipment and devices in a package for the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Usually luggage and parcels to the consulates have diplomatic immunity. Such consignments are easily released without much suspicion.

Sarith PR, who was the former spokesperson of the UAE consulate, was taken into custody in connection with the case. After prolonged questioning, his arrest was recorded while Sarith has been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody.

However, customs sources suggest that Sarith is not the only one involved in the case. "There are a few other people who have expressed interest or lobbied for this particular consignment. Swapna Suresh, who was a former employee at the UAE consulate is one among them. We are hoping that she would cooperate with us," said an officer on condition of anonymity.

Swapna Suresh has been working as a contract employee under one of the wings in the IT Department of Kerala government. The department terminated her contract on Monday after allegations were raised about Swapna's involvement in the case. The residents’ association secretary at Swapna's previous apartment has said that IT Secretary Sivasankar has been a regular visitor at her flat.

"He used to come in his office vehicle by around 8 pm and would stay up till late night. This was a routine here, later we raised concerns about the safety of other residents and she left," said the secretary of the association.

Opposition demands CBI probe

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has written to the Prime Minister Modi demanding a CBI enquiry into the case. In the letter, Chennithala has alleged that misusing diplomatic immunity of UAE consulate is a serious issue. He has also alleged that the people with deep roots in decision-making positions of CMO are involved in this.