'No financial gain from Potty'; Murari Babu's statement in gold theft case surfaces

KOCHI: The statement of former Travancore Devaswom Board administrative officer Murari Babu, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has surfaced. Murari Babu's statement is that he has not achieved any financial gain from Unnikrishnan Potty, the first accused in the case, and did not earn a single rupee illegally.

He also informed the officials that he is ready to produce any documents related to his assets. Murari Babu, who was granted bail in the case registered by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), appeared at the ED office in Kadavanthra at 10 am yesterday. The ED mainly questioned him about his role in the gold smuggling case and about individuals connected to financial transactions.

The ED is planning to expand the investigation to more people. The ED has also issued a notice to S Sreekumar, another former administrative officer, asking him to appear for questioning. Sreekumar, who was granted bail on January 29, has been directed to appear this week via a notice. After collecting information from those who have secured bail in the SIT case, the ED plans to move forward against other accused as well.

Meantime, the SIT will soon file interim charge sheets soon in both cases related to the Sabarimala gold theft. A draft of the charge sheet has already been prepared. It will be submitted to the court after the prosecution gets sanction from the government. As charge sheets have not been filed within 90 days of arrest, all accused are presently eligible for statutory bail. The opposition has intensified criticism over the delay in filing the charge sheets.

Once the scientific examination report from the VSSC is received, it will also be included along with the charge sheet. Only after receiving this report, it will be confirmed how much gold was smuggled from Sabarimala. The draft charge sheet will be sent for legal opinion, and it is expected to be submitted to the court by the first week of March.