Anantapur police issued notices to Sathya Sai Central Trust members V Srinivasan and R J Ratnakar, in the case of the transfer of Rs. 35.5 lakh from Puttaparthi.
Anantapur police on Wednesday issued notices to 2 members of the Sathya Sai Central Trust, V Srinivasan and R J Ratnakar, to appear before it for questioning in the case of the transfer of the Rs. 35.5 lakh which was intercepted at a checkpost on June 19.
This is the first time that members of the Trust will be questioned by the police.
The notices were issued a day after the police questioned the Chief Security Officer Pradhan of the Prashanti Nilayam, the Ashram of the late Sathya Sai Baba who passed away on April 24.
Pradhan had denied that he was not present on the night of June 19, when the money is believed to have been taken from the Yajur Mandir, the personal abode of the late seer.
The Rs. 35.5 lakh was being transported in a van from Puttaparthi to Bangalore, when it was intercepted and seized. The driver of the van, Harish Shetty was arrested.
The police, later, took 2 more persons, Chandrasekhar Murthy and Sohan Shetty, into custody.
The 3 are currently under judicial custody, till June 27.
Incidentally, the money was seized 2 days after the Trust members unlocked the Yajur Mandir and evaluated the treasure inside. The members had said that the Mandir had yielded Rs. 11.56 crore in cash, 98 kg of gold ornaments and 307 kg silver items.
The treasure was deposited in the State Bank of India.
Earlier, the Yajur Mandir was sealed after rumours began to be aired that the valuables inside it were being looted with the connivance of the Trust Members, even as the late Sathya Sai Baba was undergoing treatment in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.
Meanwhile, sources say that the police believe that a much bigger treasure trove than the one publicly acknowledged by the Trust members might be concealed inside the Yajur Mandir.
"False ceilings, secret rooms and even secret floors are believed to have been constructed, in which a huge treasure trove could be hidden," the sources say.
The only person who is believed to have any idea about the hidden treasures is Satyajit, the personal caretaker of the late Sathya Sai Baba, the sources said.
He had unhindered access to the Yajur Mandir during the Baba's lifetime.
Earlier, Sathya Sai Central Trust member R J Ratnakar had denied that the seized money was connected to the Trust.
On Tuesday, Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy had told media persons that the government had already ordered the police not to bow down to any pressure, and to carry out a thorough investigation into the cash seized. (INN)