The Central Sathya Sai Trust stated that Rs 11.56 crore in cash, 98 kilogram gold, gold jewellery and 307 kg silver articles, was found inside the Yajur Mandir.
Two months after Sathya Sai Baba was laid to rest, members of his trust opened his private apartments — Yajurveda Mandiram at Prashanti Nilayam in Puttaparthi — on Thursday and discovered a veritable treasure trove: Rs11.56 crore in cash, 98kg of gold and jewellery and 307kg of silver. It is believed that three gold idols of Rama, Krishna and Hanuman and a pair of footwear made of pure gold were also found in the Baba’s chambers.
A team of 20 people spent about 36 hours making an inventory of the wealth in the godman’s room, which was locked after he was shifted to hospital in March 2011.
Sathya Sai Central Trust members were keen on keeping the operation a secret but once news leaked to the media, the trust had to given an update. Baba’s nephew RJ Ratnakar announced details of the cash and valuables found inside on Friday evening.
The inventory was done in the presence of retired Supreme Court judge AP Mishra and retired judge of Karnataka high court Vaidyanatha. Officials of the State Bank of India, Puttaparthi helped to count the cash. An assessor approved by the Income Tax Department was also present to assist in evaluating the gold, jewellery and silver. They had also roped in valuers to value the gold and silver, the details of which are yet to be disclosed.
Sources claim a significant quantity of diamonds, platinum and foreign currency was also in the room, which the trust members have not discussed. “We were told that a Saudi king had gifted several diamonds to Baba. His foreign devotees gifted him foreign currency. There were also several property documents. There is no word on any of these,” the source said.
The cash and the precious metals were given to the SBI officials; the cash is expected to be credited to the trust’s account.
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