Kochi, November 16: IAS officer M Sivasankar, arrested for his alleged role in the Kerala gold smuggle case, level counter-accusations against the central probing agency. In his statement submitted before the Kochi court, Sivasankar claimed that was "pressurised" by the Enforcement Directorate to name certain "political targets". What is Kerala's Gold Smuggling Case And Why is CM Pinarayi Vijayan Under Attack?

Sivasankar, who was the Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister's Office (CMO) till July this year, came under the scanner for his alleged links to Swapna Suresh -- one of the main accused in the gold smuggling case.

In his affidavit submitted on Monday before the the principal sessions court in Kochi, Sivasankar stated that he was arrested by the ED for refusing to name the "political targets". After his refusal, the bureaucrat claims that he was "arrayed as an accused" and taken into arrest.

Update by ANI

The gold smuggling case was unearthed after the Customs authority at Thiruvananthapuram airport seized 30 kilograms of gold. The precious metal was recovered from a diplomatic bag that was meant to be delivered to the UAE consulate.

An investigation into the case revealed Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE consulate and then serving as a personnel of the KSIT, as the main accused. Sivasankar came under the scanner after it was alleged that he had recommended Swapna's posting in the KSIT -- a department of the Kerala government.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 16, 2020 07:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).