Actor Jayaram questioned by SIT in connection with Sabarimala gold theft case
The SIT questioned the actor recently at his residence in Chennai about the number of times he participated poojas with Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case, and whether there were any financial transactions between them, sources said.
Sabarimala: In a major twist in the Sabarimala gold case, actor Jayaram has been questioned by the special investigation team (SIT). As per sources the questioning continued for three hours.
Jayaram had earlier spoken about his association with Unnikrishnan Potty when the Sabarimala gold case came to the limelight.
The SIT questioned the actor recently at his residence in Chennai about the number of times he participated poojas with Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case, and whether there were any financial transactions between them, sources said.
The SIT is investigating two cases related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the doorframes of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.
The actor was questioned following circulation of videos showing him participating in a puja organised in Chennai in 2019 by Mr. Potti with the artefacts taken from the temple for gold plating.
Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officers B. Murari Babu and S. Sreekumar, who were arrested in connection with the cases, were recently released on statutory bail in the matter.
They were granted statutory bail as the SIT has not filed its chargsheet within the stipulated 90 days period after the arrest of the accused. Mr. Sreekumar has not been arrayed as an accused in the second case involving the loss of gold from the door-frames of Sreekovil.
Mr. Potti has got statutory bail in one of the cases and is therefore, still in jail. The SIT has arrested 12 people, including two TDB presidents, in connection with the cases.