ED questions Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in Sabarimala gold theft case

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday questioned Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.

He reached the ED office in Kochi around 2.45 p.m. The questioning lasted for around four hours. The ED is learnt to have questioned him about his association with Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the case.

The Kerala High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) had alleged that Mr. Rajeevaru had violated the temple manual by allowing Mr. Potti, who was brought to the temple as a helper in 2007, to dismantle the gilded moulds covering the temple’s stone carvings, doorway and sculptures to be transported to a metal works factory, Smart Creations, at Ambathur in Chennai, purportedly for restoration.

Mr. Rajeevaru, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for alleged criminal complicity and conspiracy in the “dishonest misappropriation” of the temple’s gold-plated religious artefacts in 2019, was released on bail on February 18 after completing 41 days in remand.

The ED was also looking at the SIT’s alleged findings related to the Tantri’s financial transactions. It had alleged that he had substantial deposits in a private financial institution. The Kollam Vigilance Court, while granting him bail in the Sabarimala gold misappropriation cases, had observed that the SIT had failed to produce substantive evidence to support the allegations levelled against Mr. Rajeevaru.

The ED had on Tuesday questioned N. Vasu, former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board, as part of its probe into the Sabarimala gold theft case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).