The Customs Department and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have attempted to determine, separately, whether former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan M. Sivasankar had any intention or prior knowledge of wrongdoing in the high-profile case relating to the smuggling of contraband gold via air cargo shipments addressed to the UAE consulate here.

A Customs official said Mr. Sivasankar had reportedly stated that he had no knowledge of the offence. However, he had associated with the accused often, sometimes at a personal level.

Mr. Sivasankar purportedly told investigators that Sarith and Swapna Suresh, the first and second accused in the case, had "reached out to him" to get the Customs to clear the cargo consignment that had arrived here early July. However, the bureaucrat reportedly told investigators that he pointedly refused to intervene.

The accused had made a desperate attempt to send back the consignment to its port of origin after the inspectors at the air cargo complex at the international airport here insisted that they would clear the air freight only after examination in the presence of the UAE official in charge of the consulate.

The Customs reportedly wanted to find out whether suspicion or knowledge of the presence of contraband in the consignment had caused the senior bureaucrat to balk at the request to intervene ostensibly on behalf of the consulate.

Officials privy to some elements of the NIA inquiry into the national security implications of the case said the agency appeared keen on attempting to find out why Mr. Sivasankar had allegedly recommended Swapna Suresh for a job in Space Project when she was still in the rolls of the UAE consulate as a permanent employee. Even after joining Space Project, Swapna had continued to work for the consulate on a "request basis."

She had allegedly lobbied with Customs officials for the expeditious clearance of the consignment that was found to contain 30 kg of gold concealed in imported piping when opened in the presence of the UAE official on July 5.

The NIA was reportedly probing whether Swapna's appointment was a cover to have a consulate employee close to top decision-makers in the halls of power.