Puttaparthi, June 17: The trustees of Sathya Sai Baba Trust have found a huge treasure trove inside the locked room of late Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi on Thursday.
According to reports, 98 kilograms gold, Rs 11.56 crores cash, and 317 kg silver have been found from Yajur Mandir, the late spiritual guru's personal room, which was kept locked since the Baba was hospitalized on March 28.
The cash has been deposited in the State Bank of India in the accounts of Sai Baba's Prashanthi Nilayam trust.
Income Tax officials are now believed to be assessing the value of the gold and silver found in the room.
It took twenty people 36 hours to count the cash recovered from Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi.
Nearly two months after Sri Sathya Sai Baba's passing away on April 24, his favourite abode in the sprawling Prasanthi Nilayam was opened by the Sathya Sai Central Trust here on Thursday.
The Trust on Thursday maintained a veil of secrecy on the cash and gold stocked inside the Yajur mandir saying that details of the assets would be revealed on Friday once the inventory of jewels, ornaments and other precious stones is completed.
The Trust kept everybody, including media, at bay though it had promised to open the doors of the mandir in the midst of devotees and high-profile individuals.
Baba's nephew and Trust member R J Rathnakar Raju told newsmen in the evening that several documents and papers on the valuables inside the mandir were being perused by the SBI authorities.
“We will try to give a list of the gold stocks and cash held by Sai Baba on Friday,” he said.
The mandir was closed in March ever since Baba was admitted to the super speciality hospital with serious health problems and remained locked up till Thursday morning.
Around 9.30 am, senior Trust members S V Giri, V Srinivasan along with Rathnakar, secretary K Chakravarthi and Baba's caregiver Satyajit entered the mandir. They were closeted inside for a long time.
Later, around 11.45 am, SBI manager and some staff went inside along with a counting machine. Sources said lockers were also opened inside the mandir.
“Baba used to maintain a cash chest from where he used to gift priceless valuables and gifts to his ardent devotees,” a source said.
Ex-Chief Justice of India P N Bhagawati along with former High Court judge Vaidyanathan and ex-Supreme Court judge A P Misra were also present when the inventory was being done in the mandir.
Surprisingly, the district collector, SP or revenue officials were not present at the time of inventory.
“Though the Trust promised to carry out the exercise in the presence of a third party, nobody was allowed inside,” sources said.
Media was kept out of bounds, while only DSP Narasimhulu, who is close to Rathnakar, was present.
Meanwhile, Bhagawati changed his tack saying that he has not resigned from the central Trust as reported by the media.
“I had quit from the Sathya Sai Educational Trust only after I was made the chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,” he said.
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