100gm gold seized from locker of Odisha godman's aide

At least 100 gm of gold was seized from a bank locker allotted to a close aide of controversial self-styled godman Sarathi Baba currently lodged in a jail, police said today.
Crime Branch sleuths of Odisha Police yesterday seized 100 gm gold from the locker owned by Pradeep Sahoo at the main branch of Kendrapara Urban Cooperative Bank, a police official said.
"We have initiated a probe to ascertain whether the gold was ill-gotten," the official said.
Police had rendred inoperative the accounts of Sarathi Baba and his Satyam Charitable Trust in State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank and United Bank and Urban Cooperative Bank in Kendrapara in December last year.

The self-styled godman has been languishing in jail since his arrest from his ashram in Barimula village on the outskirts of Kendrapara town on August 8 last year.
He was booked under section 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery) 468, (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 471 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), 321 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and 25 of Arms Act, police said.