Actor Jayaram arrived before the ED on Tuesday for questioning in connection with the alleged misappropriation of gold from Sabarimala. As per a video shared by news agency PTI, the actor was seen arriving for the questioning and spoke to reporters, saying that all those involved in the matter should be caught and that Lord Ayyappa will not spare the culprits.
What Jayaram said
Speaking to reporters outside the ED office, Jayaram said, “I am also such a Malayali who is obliged to help with that. In the last 10-38 years, I have been invited to many temples for various pujas and other religious ceremonies or events and I attend as many of them as possible. That is how I was called for a puja in connection with the Sabarimala artefacts. I was called for such pujas by them (Unnikrishnan Potty and others) several times. So, whether there was any irregularity behind it is being investigated by the court and the concerned agencies.”
He went on to add, “So, that is why I have been called. If there are any others involved in the matter, let them also get caught. Lord Ayyappa will not spare them.”
More details about the case
Last month, Jayaram was questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
Jayaram, a leading actor in South India, was previously interrogated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala police at his residence in Chennai, particularly about his links with Unnikrishnan Potty, the priest-turned-real estate businessman who is at the centre of the case. Potty, the first accused in the case and currently out on bail, is accused of pilfering gold from the door frames of the Sabarimala temple’s sanctum sanctorum and the gold-clad sheets covering the ‘dwarapalaka’ (guardian) idols of the temple under the guise of “re-plating” them with gold in 2019.
The ED will be looking to probe if an exchange of money was taken place between Jayaram and Potty in the name of rituals associated with the Sabarimala gold assets. It is being alleged that Potty made several individuals, including celebrities, believe that if they conducted prayers at their homes in the presence of the Sabarimala door frames, it would bring them luck.
The Kochi unit of the ED had registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) last month. It has filed a petition before the special court in Kollam demanding case-related documents from the SIT.