Kochi: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officials on Tuesday checked the bank lockers of former excise minister K. Babu's elder daughter, son-in-law and her father-in-law at the Indian Overseas Bank branch in Thodupuzha as part of the probe into the disproportionate assets case against him. While the locker in the name of his daughter and her husband had 39 sovereigns of gold ornaments purchased nearly four years ago, another locker in the name of her father-in-law was reportedly empty. The lockers were sealed.
The action will continue on Wednesday when the officers are slated to inspect another locker in the name of Mr Babu with the Tripunithura branch of State Bank of Travancore. Earlier on Monday, the sleuths had checked a locker in the name of his younger daughter with the Punjab National Bank branch office at Vennala and found it to have 117 sovereigns of gold.
Meanwhile, the Vigilance team on Tuesday submitted 246 documents and other materials seized during the raids on several properties of the former minister before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court. The Vigilance had seized Rs 1.5 lakh and 180 gms of gold from the house of Mr Babu while Rs 6.6 lakh was seized from the house of his suspected benami, Mohanan of Tripunithura. Official sources said the investigation team would verify the details of assets purchased by the former minister over the last 10 years.
