The agency, probing the money trail in the case, arrested the former principal secretary to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan after the high court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
Opposing the plea, the ED submitted that suspended IAS officer Sivasankar was not cooperating with the investigation. The Customs also alleged he wasn't providing clear answers.
The NIA's probe has revealed that Rabins K Hameed had conspired with others arrested in the case and had purchased gold in Dubai to smuggle it into India.
The anticipatory bail pleas were filed by Sivasankar following the arrest by the Customs probing the gold smuggling and the ED investigating the money trail in the case.
Union minister and Kerala BJP leader Muraleedharan alleged that this case is distinct from other gold smuggling cases because it is ‘directly’ linked to the chief minister's office.
Despite getting bail, Swapna Suresh will continue to remain in prison as she has been arrested under the UAPA in another gold smuggling case being probed by the NIA.
Suresh, however, will remain behind bars as she is an accused in the alleged terror link of the gold smuggling case probed by the NIA and an illegal trade case probed by the ED.
Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kerala CPI(M) state secretary and former minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, is also being probed by Bengaluru Crime Branch in a drug racket case.
The Congress demanded an NIA probe into the matter while BJP state chief K Surendran courted arrest for forcefully entering the secretariat complex soon after the fire broke out.
New CPI series will take 2024 as base year, will provide more accurate measure of inflation, spending on digital services. Expected to enhance representation and reliability, says Saurabh Garg.
The agreement, signed after meeting between Rajnath and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on sidelines of ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, aims to deepen bilateral ties in the critical sector.
This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.
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