All you need to know about Kerala's gold smuggling case

This diplomatic cargo came from Dubai and the sender was a Sharjah-based firm, Al-Zatar Spcies. The items enclosed in the cargo were listed as bathroom fittings and some eateries.

The suspicion of the customs authorities intensified when a former local PRO of the UAE Consulate Sarith Kumar came forward to claim the cargo. Kumar worked with the Consulate General and was removed from the job last year. The Consulate was quick to inform the customs department that Kumar had no right to claim the cargo.

This led to the Customs officers to examine the cargo in the presence of Consulate officials, a requirement for examining a diplomatic parcel. Finally, gold worth an estimated Rs 15 crore was seized.

After the arrest of Sarith Kumar, the Customs department was trying to reach Swapna Suresh, a former executive secretary at the UAE Consulate-General’s office and a suspect, to join the probe. However, after the investigation started, Suresh absconded. She and Sandeep Nair (another accused) were tracked down in Bengaluru.

The NIA also suspected a terror link to the gold smuggling case and filed a case under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). The NIA later booked four people -Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair and Fazil Fareed, under UAPA.

As investigations into the Kerala gold smuggling case progressed, the name of M Sivasankar came under scrutiny. Sivasankar was Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s principal secretary and also the head of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL).

The probe later revealed that Sivasankar recommended Swapna for a position with the KSITIL which required the applicant to be a graduate. However, Swapna was ineligible for the post.

When the heat turned on Chief Minister Vijayan, Sivasankar was suspended.

After Sivasankar was questioned several times by the three central agencies -- the NIA, the ED and the customs department -- the IAS Officer was finally arrested on October 27 on charges of money laundering in the smuggling case.

The opposition in Kerala was quick to attack the Chief Minister of the state, Vijayan. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) moved a no-confidence motion against the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the Kerala gold smuggling case.

The party also demanded that Vijayan should be questioned by the NIA. The party further demanded Kerala CM's resignation on grounds of taking moral responsibility for the acts of his Principal Secretary M Sivasankar.