THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the special investigation team is planning its next course of action in the Sabarimala gold missing case, a Rajasthani native working in a Chennai-based jewellery shop has come up with a claim that he had transported gold from the firm, which was involved in repair works of the gold-plated sheets from Sabarimala, to a jewellery in Ballari.
The person identified as Kalpesh Jain, who worked in a jewellery shop in Sowcarpet in Chennai, told the media that he had transported a ‘packet’ from Smart Creations, which operated from Ambattur Industrial Estate. The packet, which reportedly contained gold that was extracted from the sheets brought from Sabarimala, was moved to the jewellery in Ballari that was owned by Govardhan, a friend of the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti.
Kalpesh, who claimed to be working in Chennai for Kalikund Jewellers for the past 13 years, said the Ballari jewellery had business dealings with his firm. It was at the insistence of Govardhan, owner of Ballari-based Roddam Jewels, that he took the consignment from Smart Creations. However, the video’s credibility and claims made by Kalpesh are yet to be verified. There were reports that Unnikrishnan had told the SIT about Kalpesh’s role as middleman in the transaction. However, Kalpesh claimed he did not make any monetary benefits from transporting the ‘packet’.
Meanwhile, the SIT is gearing up to question more Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officers accused in the case. The accused, including former Sabarimala executive officer D Sudheesh Kumar and former TDB secretary Jayasree, will be summoned for questioning as the police custody of Potti expires by October 30, sources said.