Kochi, The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday questioned former Travancore Devaswam Board administrative officer Murari Babu in connection with a money laundering probe related to the Sabarimala gold “loss” in Kerala, officials said.
ED questions former TDB official in Sabarimala gold ‘damage’ caseThe agency recorded Babu’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said.
The official was arrested by the Special Investigation Team of Kerala as part of this probe and was recently granted bail by a court.
The agency also recorded the statement of another former TDB administrative officer S Sreekumar some time ago as part of this investigation.
Last month, the ED probed the case.
More Read
ED said in a statement issued on January 21 that it has seized 8 immovable properties. ₹”Prime” seized Rs 1.3 crore belonging to accused Unnikrishnan Potti and a 100 gram gold bar from the premises of a company named Smart Creations in Chennai during the search.
It filed a PMLA case on January 9 after receiving two FIRs by the Kerala Police. The politically sensitive case is already being probed by a state SIT under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.
The probe relates to a series of allegations including official misconduct, administrative malpractice and a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate gold from various artefacts of the Lord Ayyappa temple.
The investigation found, the ED statement said, that the temple’s sacred gold-clad artefacts, including elements of the Dwarapalak idol, pidam and sanctum door frame panels, were deliberately misrepresented as mere “copper plates” in official documents and were removed from the temple premises without permission.
These artefacts were later transferred to private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, including Smart Creations and Roddam Jewellers, where gold was extracted through chemical processes under the guise of repair and replacement work, the agency found.
“The recovered gold and related assets constituted the proceeds of crime, which were retained, transferred and concealed by the accused persons,” it said.
The probe also pointed to other financial irregularities and “scandals” at the Sabarimala temple, including misappropriation of temple offerings and rituals, the agency claimed.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without text modification
