Thiruvananthapuram | The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday extended its probe into Tamil Nadu in search of a businessman in the Sabarimala gold loss case, police said.
Police are searching for a jeweller named Balamurughan, also known as D Mani, from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.
According to police sources, Mani and his associate came under the SIT's radar after senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala gave a statement alleging the involvement of an international antique racket in the Sabarimala gold loss incident.
Based on Chennithala's revelation, the SIT also recorded the statement of an NRI businessman, who told police that gold from Sabarimala might have reached Mani, who allegedly procured large numbers of temple antiques.
Police also traced Balamurughan's phone number as part of the probe.
After obtaining a search warrant from a court, the SIT reached the office of businessman Mani in Dindigul, police said.
However, the businessman told the SIT that he was not D Mani, whom they were searching for.
Instead, he said he was Subramaniam, also known as M S Mani, and that he was engaged in real estate, not the gold trade, police said.
SIT sources said the phone number traced by the team was being used by M S Mani, following which they decided to conduct a detailed investigation to ascertain whether D Mani and M S Mani are the same person.
A notice was issued to Subramaniam to appear for interrogation in Thiruvananthapuram.
The SIT is also looking for Srikrishna in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, police said.
SIT sources said the involvement of Mani and his associate is yet to be established in the Sabarimala gold loss case.
So far, the SIT has arrested nine persons, including two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board, in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframes.
After receiving information about Mani, the SIT also recorded the statement of the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, who had undertaken the task of electroplating gold-clad plates for the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil doorframes.
