The National Investigating Agency, probing the gold smuggling through diplomatic route in Thiruvananthapuram airport, on Thursday started questioning M Sivsankar, the suspended principal secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Sivsankar reached the Police Club in capital city where a team of NIA sleuths were waiting for him. The session between the IAS officer and the NIA officials were progressing even at the time of going to Press.
It is after ten days of meticulous planning that the NIA team summoned Sivsankar. Last week saw Sivsankar, an official close to Vijayan being subjected to a marathon grilling by the Customs officials at Thiruvananthapuram which lasted for more than nine hours.
The NIA had interrogated Sarith, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair for many days before they took the decision to summon Sivsankar. Though the Customs and NIA officials remained incommunicado till date about the entire case, it is reported that they got valuable information linking the IAS officer with the trio in the smuggling operation.
The day began with news that Mohammed Yousuf, the Commissioner of Customs, issued an order transferring six superintendents and two inspectors probing the case.
Within minutes news channels aired the news that a cartel of businessmen from Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district had smuggled 1,500 kg of gold using diplomatic immunity during the last three years. This is being seen as the shadow boxing happening in the Customs House between senior officials.
The Enforcement Directorate too pitched in with their share and registered the arrest of Sarith, Swapna and Sandeep in connection with the gold smuggling, making it the third agency probing the case. Meanwhile the Customs Department has approached the special court in Kochi to slap COFEPOSA charges on the three accused which, if approved would make it difficult for them to get bail for the next one year.