More gold bars emerge from Suresh’s locker

CHENNAI:
Published : 08 Aug 2009
Central Bureau of Investigation officials have recovered one kg of gold in the form of several bars (biscuits) from a bank locker of the former chairman of Chennai Port Trust, K Suresh, taking the total recovery of gold during the probe to five kg.

According to CBI sources, of the four lockers that were registered in Suresh’s wife’s name, only one had been searched till now. The process of checking the remaining lockers got delayed due to bank employees’ strike. Besides some indiscriminating documents pertaining to his property details in Chennai, the CBI also recovered gold bars and jewels weighing more than a kg from the first locker, sources said.

Inquiries in the State Revenue department revealed that Suresh had bought property at Kottivakkam in June this year. The land’s value is said to be around Rs 5 crore.

According to Income Tax department sources, Suresh in his I-T returns declared Rs 5 to 6 lakh as annual income and in the latest return he filed his annual income as Rs 9 lakh due to accumulated arrears after the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.Inquiries with jewellery shop owners in T Nagar have revealed that Suresh’s wife was very fond of buying different gold jewellery and she used to visit these marts every week.

“She used to come (to our shop) in her husband’s official car and make every purchase payment in cash only,” a jeweller said on condition of anonymity.

Likewise, enquiries in the port trust revealed that Suresh had spent nearly Rs 1 crore on imported furniture and other luxury goods for his new home at Choolaimedu. His new house also had a 102-inch mega Samsung television worth Rs 90,000, an ultra-modern refrigerator worth Rs 60,000 and 16 imported air conditioners.

In all, the CBI officials have recovered around five kilograms of gold from Suresh’s house till now besides properties worth crores. CBI expects to unearth more assets after searching the remaining three lockers.