D Mani, Balamurugan appear before SIT in Sabarimala gold theft case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: D Mani appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Balamurugan, who gave the SIM card to D Mani, also appeared. Mani and his aides Balamurugan and Sreekrishnan were asked to appear for questioning in Thiruvananthapuram today through a notice issued by SIT. Based on this, the two arrived. D Mani arrived at the SIT office with his lawyer and Balamurugan with his wife.

An expatriate businessman had given a statement to the SIT that he had sold gold ornaments to D Mani of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, who is associated with international antiquities dealers, in Thiruvananthapuram. It is assumed that these are ornaments from Sabarimala. The investigation reached D Mani following this.

‘The transaction between Unnikrishnan Potty and Mani was at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. I am a witness to this. They approached me first for the transaction. Since I am interested in antiques, I found the valuables tied in a sack when visited D Mani's house in Dindigul. I couldn’t see everything as bidding was undecided. No sale happened. The businessman gave his statement saying that Mani is known as Dawood Mani among metal traders.

The businessman also gave Mani's number to the SIT. The statement said the gold ornaments were smuggled through D Mani. Mani reached Thiruvananthapuram by plane. Mani brought the money from Dindigul by road. The statement is that the top brass of Sabarimala was also witnesses to the transaction. It was Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala who revealed that the gold sheets were handed over to the international antiquities’ mafia.