ED officials question Sarathi Baba in jail

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials today recorded statements of Santosh Roul alias Sarathi Baba inside Choudwar jail premises here in connection with huge movable and immovable properties recovered from him and from his Ashram.
Sources in jail said a four-member team of the ED equipped with a permission granted to them by the Special Judge (ED) Court in Bhubaneswar questioned the UTP for about three hours and recorded his statements.
Ever since his arrest in August last year, the tainted godman is cooling his heels in the Choudwar circle jail for over seven months.
When contacted, his advocate Manas Chand said the ED officials questioned his client to ascertain the source of money and properties accumulated by him and whether his acts violate the provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The State crime branch police have seized cash and bank accounts worth nearly Rs 3 crore, documents of a charitable trust run in the name of his adopted son, a duplex at Bhubaneswar, and homestead plot of six decimals at Puri and two acres of land at Barimul in Kendrapada district, where a massive ashram had come up.
Police had also seized two cars, a motorcycle, an SUV and an ambulance from the godman's ashram and house.