Hyderabad, June 19
The mystery over the treasure trove at Sathya Sai Baba’s spiritual abode in Andhra Pradesh is getting deeper by the day. Close on the heels of unearthing an array of gold, silver, jewellery and cash from Sathya Sai’s personal chamber at Prashanthi

Nilayam in Puttaparthi, the police have seized Rs 35.5 lakh in cash from a Bangalore-bound vehicle belonging to Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust.

The police stumbled upon the cash, stuffed into a bag, during a routine checking at a toll gate near Kodikonda checkpost in Anantapur district late last night. The car was confiscated and the driver was arrested.

According to police sources, the driver admitted that the money was given to him by someone connected with the Trust. He was taken to Puttaparthi for further investigation.

“A vehicle carrying Rs 35.5 lakh cash has been confiscated from a checkpost bordering Karnataka. We have detained the driver and are verifying from him the source of cash besides from where it was being taken,” Anantapur District Superintendent of Police Shah Nawaz Qasim said.

Sathya Sai’s nephew RJ Ratnakar has stated that the money seized by the police did not belong to the Trust.

However, the recovery of huge money has further strengthened fears of a section of devotees and general public that large amounts of cash, jewellery and other valuables might have been shipped out of the ashram when Sathya Sai Baba was in the hospital.

The Trust authorities had on June 17 found huge quantities of gold, precious stones, silver and cash inside Yajurveda Mandir - an opulent residential quarter of Sathya Sai. The authorities had found 98 kg gold, 307 kg silver and Rs 11.56 crore in cash.

The Yajur Mandir had remained closed ever since Sathya Sai was hospitalised on March 28.