Court grants ED 7 days custody of Sivasankar in gold smuggling case

Kochi: A court here on Thursday granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seven day custody of suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, arrested by the agency probing the money trail in the Kerala gold smuggling case.

Sivasankar, who was arrested by the ED on Wednesday night, was produced before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Thursday morning.

Although the ED sought 14-day custody of Sivasankar, who has been named fifth accused in the case, the court granted the agency his seven-day custody.

Earlier in its arrest order, the agency has claimed that Sivasankar has been guilty of an offence punishable under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED had arrested the former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after six hours of interrogation at its Kochi office on Wednesday night.