Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 21 : Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case, stating that while the matter must be probed thoroughly, the central agency needs to clarify its role when there is already a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is conducting a detailed probe.
Addressing mediapersons here today, Chennithala said, "Sabarimala gold theft case has to be thoroughly inquired so that all accused are booked under the law. Our experience with ED has been bitter, as nothing happens when the agency conducts any investigation. We hope that does not happen in this case." He added that the SIT, which is probing the case under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, is doing a commendable job and questioned the need for a parallel ED investigation.
The remarks came after the ED launched extensive raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday. The searches are part of an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case. ED teams conducted raids at the residences of key accused, including Unnikrishnan Potti, former Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar, N Vasu, Murari Babu and gold traders Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari.
In Kerala, searches were carried out at multiple locations, including the Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, while in Tamil Nadu, ED teams searched premises linked to Smart Creations in Chennai. The agency has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) naming over 15 accused, with Unnikrishnan Potti listed as the prime accused.
The case relates to the alleged misappropriation of around 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred artefacts of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in 2019, during renovation work. While the SIT is examining the criminal aspects of the theft, the ED's probe is focused on tracking the money trail and possible asset attachment in the coming days.