Kochi: Former Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister M Shivasankar has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a gold smuggling case. Shivasankar, who was taken into custody from Thiruvananthapuram within minutes of the High Court rejecting his anticipatory bail application in the morning, was brought to Kochi in the afternoon. The arrest was recorded around 10 pm after seven hours of questioning. The High Court had earlier rejected the bail plea saying that Shivashankar could be arrested following due process. It is learned that the Enforcement Directorate has been directed to arrest Shivashankar, who has already been interrogated for more than 100 hours at various stages.
Shivashankar was taken into custody at 10.55 am after a high court order was issued and he was summoned to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The notice was handed over after discussing the health condition of the doctor treating Shivashankar at the Ayurveda hospital. Earlier, hospital sources said that Shivashankar was still suffering from back pain and needed to be treated for a few more days. However, he was informed that he would be taken to Kochi later.
The officers handed over the summons to Shivashankar and asked him if he was coming in his own vehicle or with us. He agreed to come along. He left for Kochi with the officers very calmly. The ED office and its surroundings became the venue for the protest of the opposition youth organizations when they came to know that Shivashankar was being brought to Kochi.
Shivshankar will be remanded in custody for 115 days following his suspension. On July 11, customs raided a flat rented by Shivshankar to Swapna. On July 14, Customs questioned Shivashankar for nine hours. He was suspended from service on 16 July. He was first questioned by the National Investigation Agency on July 23. He was questioned by the NIA on July 27 for two consecutive days. Shivshankar was first questioned by the Enforcement Directorate on August 15. On September 24, the NIA questioned him again. Shivshankar was questioned by customs on October 9 and 10.
