KOCHI: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday began questioning former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu in connection with the alleged Sabarimala gold misappropriation case.
The questioning commenced at around 10.30 am at the ED office in Kochi. Vasu is one of the main accused in the case, which pertains to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the doorframes of the Sabarimala temple. He was granted bail last month by the Kollam Vigilance Court.
According to the investigation, the gold slabs removed from the temple doorframes were initially described as copper in a letter forwarded by Vasu to the Devaswom Board seeking approval. The Board approved the request on February 26, 2019, and subsequently decided on March 19 to hand over the slabs to Unnikrishnan Potty.
As part of the probe, the ED has so far questioned former Sabarimala administrative officers S Sreekumar and Murari Babu, former TDB secretary S Jayasree, actor Jayram, and Kalpesh.
The agency has also questioned NM Raju, owner of Nedumparambil Credit Syndicate (NCS). Investigators suspect that former Sabarimala thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru had deposited nearly Rs 2.5 crore with the firm before it ceased operations.
Sources said the ED team is likely to question more individuals, including Unnikrishnan Potty, in the coming days as the probe progresses.