Sabarimala gold heist case: Probe team reaches Sannidhanam for fresh on-site inspection

Kochi (Kerala): Acting on a directive from the Kerala High Court, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday reached the Sannidhanam at Sabarimala to carry out a fresh on-site inspection in the high-profile case of gold theft at the temple.

The direction was issued by a Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar while considering a progress report submitted in the case. The court ordered a renewed inspection after examining a scientific report prepared by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

According to the VSSC findings, there has been a major reduction in both the quantity and purity of gold used in sacred temple structures, including the Dwarapalaka sculptures and the door frames of the Sreekovil. The report pointed to a clear discrepancy between the original gold layers—imported from Switzerland and donated by the UB Group in 1998—and the inferior-quality gold found on the structures after replating carried out in 2019.

Investigators suspect that the original gold components were removed and replaced with copper replicas that were later gold-plated, allegedly after extracting the gold using chemical processes. As part of the next phase of the probe, the High Court has authorised the SIT to record detailed statements from several key officials linked to the case.

Meanwhile, the socio-religious organisation Sabarimala Karma Samithi earlier staged a protest outside the Kerala Secretariat, demanding that the investigation be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the protest, the organisation’s national vice chairman, SJR Kumar, alleged deliberate attempts to undermine Sabarimala and Hindu religious institutions.

The protests followed the arrest of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member K P Sankaradas by the SIT in connection with the case. He was later remanded by a judge of the Kollam Vigilance Court, who issued the remand order after visiting a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where Sankaradas is undergoing treatment.

Sankaradas had been part of the TDB administrative committee during the tenure of former TDB president A Padmakumar, who was earlier arrested in the case. Investigators believe that decisions taken during this period are crucial to understanding the alleged irregularities surrounding the disappearance of gold meant for the Sabarimala temple.

The case relates to allegations of the misappropriation of around 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The alleged theft is said to have occurred in 2019 under the guise of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.

PTI