The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the misappropriation of gold assets from the Sabarimala temple, questioned actor Jayaram at his latter’s residence in Chennai, mainly about his dealings and relationship with first accused Unnikrishnan Patti, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
SIT is questioning actor Jayaram in Sabarimala gold theft caseThe police team asked the actor whether he was involved in any financial transactions with Patti and how often he participated in pujas and other religious rituals organized by the main accused in the case.
When the gold theft first came to light last year, videos of the prominent Kerala actor sharing the stage with Patti at various events went viral on social platforms. The actor admitted to local media that he attended a puja held at his home and at Smart Creations in Chennai when the gold artefacts from the Sabarimala temple were brought to Chennai to be “transplanted” under Patti’s sponsorship.
According to SIT officials, the door frames of the Sabarimala temple’s “Shrikovil” (sanctuary) en route from Chennai to Kerala were placed in the puja room of the actor’s residence for a few minutes.
The actor told SIT that he got to know Patti during his numerous annual visits to the Sabarimala temple, where he once worked as a junior priest. He is said to have testified that he was not aware of any illegal dealings in Patti with regard to the gold-plated copper sheets covering the door frames and the “dwarpalak” idols.
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Patti was arrested by the SIT on November 3 and appeared as the first accused in the two cases registered so far. As the SIT failed to file the chargesheet within 90 days, officials risked releasing Patti on statutory bail.
