Sathya Sai Baba's abode likely to face I-T searches

Sources said the questioning is likely to be conducted in Puttaparthi on Thursday. They would be questioned as part of the investigations into the cash seizure case, a senior police officer told TOI. Sources said it is for the first time in the history of the Trust that any of its members is being summoned by cops in connection with a case.

Srinivasan is the non-executive chairman of Chennai-based WS Industries India Ltd that manufactures porcelain insulators for electrical transmission and distribution. The company has been running in losses for the past two years and for the year ended March 31, 2011, it showed a net loss of Rs 2.6 crore on a turnover of Rs 253 crore. Srinivasan, who co-founded the company in 1961, is now not actively involved with the running of the company which is now being steered by his son Murali Venkatraman as vice-chairman and managing director.

Police said they would question the two trust members about the sources of the money which was intercepted near Kodikonda while being trasnsported to Bangalore in a Qualis. The police officer said they have told senior trust members to reveal the details of the trust properties to the income tax authorities. The police have already issued notices to two others - Venkatesh, Srinivasan's personal assistant, and driver Sadashiv - to appear before the investigation team in connection with the case.

The three persons, engineers Harish Nanda Shetty, Sohan Shetty and Srinivasan's driver Chandrashekhar alias Shekhar were arrested and sent to judicial remand in connection with the cash seizure. "We only hope this would lead to the arrests of the big fish and unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of wealth worth crores from Yajur Mandir," Bhaskar Reddy, a prominent citizen of Puttaparthi, observed.

Sources said Prasanthi Nilayam could witness more searches by police and IT teams in the coming days to unearth the hidden treasures in Yajur Mandir.

Meanwhile, a voluntary organisation under the supervision of social activist Prabhakar has formed a public fact-finding mission to probe the activities of the trust members, happenings in Prasanthi Nilayam and gather public opinion in the aftermath of Sai Baba's death. He said they would grill the trust members at a meeting which is likely to be held on June 30 here.