Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Cash seizure: police grill another trustee

ANANTAPUR: Another member of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust V. Srinivasan was grilled by the district police for more than four hours in Puttaparthi on Monday even as the authorities seem convinced that the cash seized last week during transportation indeed originated from the Yajur Mandir.

Mr. Srinivasan was taken in for questioning on arrival in Puttaparthi at around 11 a.m. and left at around 3p.m. Police sources said his questioning was based on the statements of another trustee R. J. Ratnakar on Saturday besides the confessions of the three accused in the unaccounted cash case.

Sources said Mr. Ratnakar, during his questioning by police on June 25, agreed that the money was brought to him by three devotees who wanted to donate the sum, which was collected from 12 persons, including themselves, for Sai Baba's samadhi in Prashanthi Nilayam. They requested him to place the money near the regal chair used by Sai Baba in the Yajur Mandir, his personal chambers and now considered his abode, before donating the money.

Acting on their request, Mr. Ratnakar, placed the money in a bag and kept it near the chair and informed Mr. Srinivasan who went to the Yajur Mandir. The money was later given to Sohan Shetty, manager of a construction company, through Mr. Srinivasan's driver, Chandrasekhara Murthy. Subsequently, it was handed over to Harishananda Shetty, an engineer working with the construction company, by Mr. Sohan Shetty.

It is learnt that Mr. Srinivasan also gave the same version about the origin of the cash. Their statements were in line with what the three accused had told the police earlier.

No receipt

A top police officer said both Mr. Ratnakar and Mr. Srinivasan could not produce any receipt pertaining to the cash. They said the devotees had donated the money directly for the construction of the samadhi and it was handed over to officials of the company.

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