Kochi: KP Sankaradas, a former Devaswom Board member accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was arrested on Wednesday at a private hospital, marking a major development in the high-profile case. He is the 11th accused in the case.

The arrest comes after sharp criticism from the Kerala High Court over the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) delay in taking action against him despite the case being registered earlier.

The SIT carried out the arrest at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in the presence of a magistrate. Sankaradas had been undergoing ICU treatment for several days and was shifted to a regular room shortly before the arrest. The proceedings were executed by a team led by SP Sasidharan.

Court flak

On Monday, the High Court expressed strong disapproval over the delay in arresting Sankaradas. “A person has been admitted to a hospital ever since he was arraigned as an accused in the case. His son is a Superintendent of Police. What is happening in this State? I completely disagree with the investigating officer,” the court said.

Earlier, the SIT had cited Sankaradas’s serious health issues, including memory loss, as the reason for postponing his arrest. His medical records were examined by a panel of specialist doctors, who confirmed his acute medical condition.