DINDIGUL: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kerala police which is investigating the alleged Sabarimala temple gold armour scam questioned Dindigul-based finance firm owner M S Mani alias Balasubramaniyan for nearly two hours at his office in Ram Nagar from 12 noon on Friday.
Sources said the preliminary investigation into the matter had revealed Mani’s links to the scam. Speaking to reporters after the officials left, Mani said he was using the mobile number of his friend Balamurugan, which police inquired about. “The person named D Mani whom Kerala police were searching for is not me,” he said, adding no summons had been issued to him.
Gold-plated armours installed in the Sabarimala temple in 1998 were sent for maintenance in 2019. While gold armour weighing 42.8 kg was given for maintenance, it weighed only 38 kg of gold when it was returned. As per a Kerala High Court order, an SIT is investigating the case. Several Devaswom Board officials including the former administrative officer S Sivakumar have been arrested.