Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in a case relating to the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling scam.

Sivasankar, whose name cropped up in the case after it was found that he had close links with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the smuggling case, was taken into custody by the ED from an Ayurveda hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where he was undergoing treatment. The central agency took him into custody minutes after the Kerala high court rejected his anticipatory bail pleas in the case. He was taken to Kochi then. His arrest was recorded at the night after interrogation that lasted for hours. After being arrested, Sivasankar was taken to the Ernakulam General Hospital for medical tests. He will be produced before the court on Thursday.

The high court dismissed two separate anticipatory bail pleas filed by him apprehending arrest by Customs investigating the smuggling angle and ED probing the money trail in the case.

Sivasankar was arrested for allegedly helping Swapna stash the money she received through illegal means, reports said.

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