Ex-minister Kadakampally Surendran quizzed by SIT in Sabarimala gold theft probe

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold loss case has questioned former Devaswom Minister and senior CPI(M) legislator Kadakampally Surendran, police officers said here on Tuesday. Surendran confirmed that his statement was recorded last week, as he was the Devaswom Minister when the alleged loss of gold from the hill shrine occurred. The SIT recorded his statement after RSP leader Shibu Baby John released photographs showing Surendran standing alongside Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case. The SIT also reportedly questioned PS Prasanth, the immediate past president of the Travancore Devaswom Board. So far, the SIT has arrested 10 people, including two former TDB presidents, as part of the probe into the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil doorframes at the Sabarimala temple. The SIT was constituted on the directions of the High Court, which earlier this month granted the team an additional six months to complete the investigation.