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Unconfirmed reports suggest that M Sivasankar, Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and also the IT Secretary, has been relieved of his post after his name got linked with a case involving smuggling of gold into Thiruvananthapuram, allegedly hidden in diplomatic luggage.
Mir Mohammed Ali, Executive Director of the Sushitwa Mission, has been given the additional charge of Secretary to Chief Minister although no official statement has been made in this regard. It was initially learnt that Sivasankar would retain his position as IT Secretary, but latest reports suggest he has applied for leave.
The Office of the Chief Minister has come under pressure since Monday following reports of Sivasankar's alleged connection with Swapna Suresh, accused smuggler and a former UAE Consulate officer, and her appointment in the IT Department despite her involvement in an ongoing criminal case pursued by the Crime Branch.
Suresh has been serving as the marketing liaison officer of the Space Park under Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd under the Department of Information Technology, part of the Chief Minister's administrative portfolio and directly under the watch of Sivasankar.
Customs seizure
The case shot into prominence on Monday with the Customs seizing around 30 kg gold from a diplomatic consignment addressed to the UAE Consulate General, Thiruvananthapuram. State BJP President K Surendran had alleged on Monday that the Offices of the Chief Minister and the IT Secretary had exerted pressure to get Suresh released. The Chief Minister had promptly dismissed the allegation.
Suresh is allegedly on the run, and the Customs has arrested Sarith, a former Consulate Public Relations Officer, as part of the investigation. He was taken to the Customs Office Kochi after he reportedly confessed to the crime. After being expelled by the Consulate, he had reportedly maintained liaison with Customs officials, including Suresh.
Earlier, Sivasankar had been in the limelight after being dragged into the high-profile Sprinklr contract case, embarrassing the Office of the Chief Minister. Strident criticism from the Opposition Congress and the BJP had forced the State government to rescind the contract with the US-based Saas company to share Covid-19 patient data for devising a suitable pandemic management strategy.
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