M Sivasankar was removed as the principal secretary to the Kerala CM after he was found in the close network of an alleged key player of the smuggling racket; Swapna Suresh, who had earlier worked as executive secretary at the UAE Consulate-General’s office.

The Ministry of Home Affairs Thursday transferred the to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), citing “serious implications for national security”.

The case pertains to the seizure of 30 kilogram of smuggled gold from a diplomatic cargo addressed to the UAE Consulate-General Office in Thiruvananthapuram last week.

Transferring the investigation into the case to the NIA, the Home Ministry said, “the organised smuggling operation may have serious implications for national security.”

@HMOIndia transfers Thiruvananthapuram Airport Gold smuggling case to NIA. Says “the organised smuggling operation may have serious implications for national security.” @IndianExpress

— Deeptiman Tiwary (@DeeptimanTY) July 9, 2020

The decision comes a day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding “an effective and coordinated investigation into the incident by all central agencies”. He wrote, “The scope of the probe should cover all aspects from the source to the end of utilisation. Every link of this crime should be unravelled so that such incidents do not occur.”

Kerala gold smuggling case explained: Diplomatic cargo, an absconding woman and a consulate under scanner

Earlier, M Sivasankar was removed as the principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister, after the senior IAS official was found in the close network of an alleged key player of the smuggling racket, Swapna Suresh, who had earlier worked as executive secretary at the UAE Consulate-General’s office.

The case has snowballed into a major political controversy in the state, with opposition parties demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister.

The Opposition parties claimed that the CM’s Office (CMO) has links to the racket. Dismissing the allegations, Vijayan had said Swapna had been appointed without his knowledge. “I don’t know under which circumstances she was appointed. It was not with my consent,” he said.