ED summons Tantri and Vasu in Sabarimala gold theft case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a summons to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) chairman N. Vasu and Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru for interrogation in the first week of March in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged Sabarimala gold theft.

Both were granted bail by the Kollam vigilance court earlier this month after they were arrested by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. ED is issuing notices to people in the accused list prepared by SIT and beyond.

Actor Jayaram had testified at the ED last week after being summoned in connection with his suspicious relationship and financial dealings with Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the case. The agency had also summoned former Travancore Devaswom Board secretary S. Jayasree and Kalpesh, who was allegedly instrumental in gold-plating the sacred artefacts of the Sabarimala Temple.

The bench cited failure of the SIT to lodge a criminal complaint within the stipulated time as the primary reason for granting bail to Mr. Vasu, who had completed 90 days in judicial custody. Tantri was granted bail in connection with cases related to misappropriation of gold from the temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) statues and Kattilappali (door frame). During court proceedings, the prosecution had argued that Mr Rajeevaru maintained close ties with Mr Potti and that Tantri had provided details of his financial transactions, revealing significant deposits in a private financial institution. When he was released from custody, he accused the government of organizing his arrest for political revenge.

ED’s Kochi unit had registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the alleged Sabarimala gold theft last month after obtaining permission from the Central Government. ED had started preliminary investigations into the alleged theft in October last year after potential money laundering issues came to light. The agency then filed a petition in the Kollam Vigilance Court seeking custody of documents related to the case. The petition alleged that the alleged acts of forgery, misappropriation of temple gold and suspicion of laundering in connection with Sabarimala constitute an offense under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code, which is a scheduled offense under PMLA.