IAS officer and former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, M Sivasankar has been suspended pending further enquiry. A decision was taken in this regard based on the report of an enquiry committee in connection with the gold smuggling racket currently being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sivasankar was removed from his post by the Kerala CM after a preliminary inquiry revealed that he had links to Swapna Suresh, one of four accused of operating a gold smuggling racket.

On Wednesday, Customs officials questioned M Sivasankar for around nine hours in connection with the case.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has demanded that CM Pinarayi Vijayan be questioned by the NIA in connection with the probe.

Earlier this month, Customs sleuths apprehended 30 kg of 24-carat gold worth Rs 14.82 crores concealed in diplomatic baggage at the Trivandrum International Airport. This discovery led to the arrest of a former PRO at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Soon after, the case was transferred to the NIA by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) citing national security concerns and a request from CM Vijayan.

A former executive secretary at the UAE Consulate-General's office, Swapna Suresh's name came up during questioning along with one Sandeep Nair and one Rameez. It was also found that the accused received several such diplomatic packages via air from the UAE in the past.

Political parties in Kerala have been staging protests seeking the resignation of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan whose former advisor M Sivasankar is believed to have close links to Swapna Suresh.