THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The special investigation team (SIT) on Friday summoned former Sabarimala executive officer D Sudheesh Kumar for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation into Sabarimala gold theft case.
Sudheesh has been accused of aiding former Sabarimala administrative officer Murari Babu in the subterfuge. Murari, the second accused, was earlier arrested in the case. The Devaswom Vigilance had earlier reported that Sudheesh tried to conceal the fact that the dwarapalaka idols and the door frames were gold-plated and instead mentioned them as copper sheets in official records. It was in 1998 that United Breweries Group and its then chairman, industrialist Vijay Mallya, sponsored the gold-plating of the sanctum sanctorum, roof and the domes.
Sudheesh and Murari had joined the TDB much earlier and were aware of UB Group’s work. Still, they recorded the sheets as copper, which the SIT reckons was deliberately done to facilitate the fraud. It was Sudheesh, who wrote to the Devaswom Board seeking permission to hand over the gold-clad sheets to the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti for repair in Chennai.
Sudheesh is the third accused in the case. The SIT, sources said, will soon question Jayasree, former secretary of TDB, in connection with the probe. Jayasree has been accused of tweaking the TDB order allowing Potti to take the sheets for repair by adding that the sheets were copper - it was not in the order originally.
Meanwhile, the SIT has collected details of the gold-plating done at Sannidhanam in 1998 from the Devaswom Board head office.
Murari Babu remanded
P’Thitta: Murari Babu, the second accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case has been remanded in judicial custody till November 13. He will be lodged at the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has not sought his custody again for further interrogation. Meanwhile, the arrest of the first accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, in connection with the kattilappadi gold theft, will be recorded on Monday.
