Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case in connection with the Sabarimala gold heist. Those named as accused in the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe are the same individuals named in the case registered by the ED.

The case has been registered by the ED’s Kochi unit with the approval of the Enforcement Directorate headquarters. There had been earlier reports that the ED was likely to take over the money-laundering investigation linked to the Sabarimala gold heist.

All 15 accused named in the SIT case, including Unnikrishnan Potti, A Padmakumar, N Vasu and other members of the Travancore Devaswom Board in 2019, have been included as accused in the ED’s Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR). The ED will focus on investigating the money-laundering aspects of the case.

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According to sources, the ED plans to proceed with further action, including the arrest of the accused. If arrests are made, the accused may be taken into ED custody even if they are currently out on bail in the SIT case. The ED’s action is also expected to include the attachment of assets belonging to the accused.

The agency has reportedly received information indicating that a substantial amount of money laundering took place in connection with the case.