Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: ED Conducts Searches in Kerala

Searches are underway at the residences of all accused named in the case and at institutions connected to them across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The ED has begun raids at the homes of key accused, including Unnikrishnan Potti, former Devaswom Board President A. Padmakumar, N. Vasu, Murari Babu, and gold traders Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari.

Searches are also being conducted at Smart Creations in Chennai and at the residence of Bellary-based gold trader Govardhan. In Kerala, ED teams have reached the Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Raids are underway at Murari Babu’s residence in Kottayam, Unnikrishnan Potti’s house at Pulimath near Kilimanoor, N. Vasu’s residence at Pettah, and A. Padmakumar’s house in Aranmula. Searches have also begun at the residence of Unnikrishnan Potti’s sister in Valiyakattakkal, Venganoor, and at the Thiruvananthapuram homes of K. P. Shankaradas, N. Vijayakumar and S. Baiju.

The searches are being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with the ED probing financial transactions linked to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case to ascertain whether large-scale money laundering took place.

While a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the gold smuggling case under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, the ED has initiated a parallel investigation focusing exclusively on the money trail. The agency has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), naming all accused included by the SIT, including Thantri Kandaru Rajeevar, though no search has been conducted at the Thantri’s residence so far.

The ED has booked more than 15 accused in the case, with Unnikrishnan Potti listed as the prime accused. Former Devaswom Board President A. Padmakumar, N. Vasu and others are also among those named. Unnikrishnan Potti was taken into custody by the SIT in October last year in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.

According to officials, the ED may move to attach assets in the coming days based on the outcome of the raids. The agency’s intelligence wing had initiated a preliminary inquiry soon after the SIT probe began, following inputs suggesting large-scale money laundering linked to the gold smuggling.

Earlier, documents including FIRs and statements of the accused were handed over to the ED by the Kollam Vigilance Court, overriding objections raised by the state government. While it was argued that a parallel probe could affect the confidentiality of the court-monitored SIT investigation, the court upheld the ED’s authority to investigate under the PMLA.

Apart from the existing accused, former minister and CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran may also come under the ED’s ambit of investigation.

The Sabarimala gold theft case involves allegations of the misappropriation of about 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.

The controversy traces its origins to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who had gifted 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold-plating and cladding work at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used.