The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Sabarimala gold loot, is reportedly set to question Congress leader and UDF convener MP Adoor Prakash over his alleged links with the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potty. However, Prakash has maintained that he has not received any intimation from SIT to this effect.
It is learnt that an investigation team will collect information, including his Delhi trip with Unnikrishnan Potty. When Unnikrishnan Potty met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, Adoor Prakash was with him. Pictures also emerged indicating Potty’s closeness to him. The UDF convener’s clarification on this was that it was just an acquaintance with someone from his parliamentary constituency. Investigators hinted that Potty visited Sonia Gandhi’s residence in Delhi twice. On one occasion, Adoor Prakash accompanied him, and Anto Antony MP was present on the other occasion.
Meanwhile, the SIT has decided to interrogate the first accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and gold trader Govardhan together and gather decisive information related to the gold loot from them. For this, the SIT has sought the custody of the three and the Kollam Vigilance Court has sent them to police custody for one day.
The SIT has found that Unnikrishnan Potty, who delivered the gold bars to Pankaj Bhandari, who extracted the gold, and Govardhan, who bought the gold, are equally involved in the robbery. The purpose of taking the accused into custody and questioning them is to obtain details of the gold loot and also to know whether they received help from high-ranking officials in the government and political leadership.