The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) sleuths probing the disproportionate asset case against former Excise Minister K. Babu on Tuesday examined bank lockers of his elder daughter and her husband at Thodupuzha.
Officials said about 39 sovereigns of gold, reportedly purchased about four years ago, had been kept in the locker at the Indian Overseas Bank branch. Meanwhile, another locker jointly owned by Babu’s daughter and her father-in-law was reportedly found empty. The lockers were sealed after verifying the volume of gold.
The Vigilance sleuths will also examine a locker belonging to Babu at the Tripunithura branch of State Bank of Travancore on Wednesday.
Earlier on Monday, the sleuths had checked a locker belonging to Babu’s younger daughter with the Punjab National Bank branch at Vennala. The locker, registered with a joint account held by Aiswarya and her husband Vipin, had 117 sovereign of gold in it.
Articles submittedMeanwhile, the VACB team on Tuesday submitted in the Muvattupuzha Vigilance court about 246 articles, including documents and materials seized during the raids in connection with the case.
During an earlier raid, the sleuths had seized Rs.1.5 lakh and 180 gm of gold from the house of Babu, in addition to Rs.6.6 lakh from the house of his suspected benami Mohanan of Tripunithura.
The sleuths will also verify the ownership of 41 properties allegedly owned by another suspected benami Baburam.
Official sources said the investigation team would be verifying details of assets purchased by the former Excise Minister over the past 10 years. Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr. Babu had no known sources of income other than his income and allowance as a legislative member and a Minister over the two terms respectively.
