Ex-Devaswom Board Official Held in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The SIT is investigating two cases involving the loss of gold plates from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) sculptures and the gold-plated door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
Thiruvananthapuram: Another former official of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.
The SIT took into custody former administrative officer Sreekumar, during whose tenure gold from the Dwarapalaka sculptures was removed from the temple and later returned in 2019. His arrest followed the High Court’s rejection of his anticipatory bail plea, after which he was questioned at the SIT office before being taken into custody.
The SIT is investigating two cases involving the loss of gold plates from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) sculptures and the gold-plated door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum). So far, the probe team has arrested seven people, including two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board, A Padmakumar and N Vasu, as well as Unnikrishnan Potty and Murari V Babu, in connection with the missing gold from the sanctum sanctorum doorframe and Dwarapalaka sculptures. Padmakumar is also a senior CPM leader.
Former Travancore Devaswom Board secretary S Jayasree, one of the main officials yet to be taken into custody, has approached the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail.