ED gets the nod to probe Sabarimala gold heist as court rejects SIT objections

by IANS |

Kollam (Kerala), Dec 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will register a case and initiate an investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft, following an order by the vigilance court in Kerala's Kollam.

The court on Friday directed that all documents related to the case be handed over to the ED, including the FIR, remand report, and other connected records.

It dismissed objections raised by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) against sharing the case materials with the ED.

The SIT had opposed the ED conducting what it termed a parallel investigation into the case.

The order was passed on a petition filed by the ED seeking access to the records in order to probe alleged money-laundering aspects linked to the theft.

The financial probe agency told the court that documents such as the FIR and remand report were essential for examining financial transactions connected to the case.

While the SIT submitted that it had no objection to a probe into money laundering, it argued that a parallel investigation by the ED was unnecessary.

The prosecution, appearing for the SIT, contended that allowing a separate probe could hamper efforts to identify additional accused in the case.

The court, however, rejected these submissions and ordered that all records be provided to the ED.

In a related development, the Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed the bail pleas of Travancore Devaswom Board's former President N. Vasu and former administrative officer Murari Babu, who are among the accused in the Sabarimala gold theft cases.

The case against Vasu alleges that he recorded the gold sheets affixed to the wooden planks of the sanctum sanctorum as copper sheets and recommended their removal.

Murari Babu is accused of falsely recording the gold sheets as copper, thereby creating conditions that facilitated the theft.

Since the probe began by the SIT, till now, seven people, six of them attached to the Travancore Devasom Board, and the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti have been arrested and are lodged in jail.

--IANS