Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President A. Padmakumar Arrested
According to the probe team, the gold used for plating the Sanctum Sanctorum (Sreekovil) door frames was allegedly recorded as copper under instructions from former Devaswom Commissioner N Vasu
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President A. Padmakumar on Thursday, in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Padmakumar, a senior CPM leader and former MLA, was grilled by the SIT at the Crime Branch headquarters here before his arrest. The former TDB president is suspected of being involved in the case.
According to the probe team, the gold used for plating the Sanctum Sanctorum (Sreekovil) door frames was allegedly recorded as copper under instructions from former Devaswom Commissioner N Vasu. The former Commissioner was arrested on November 11 after hours of interrogation. Vasu served as Devaswom Commissioner during Padmakumar's tenure in 2019.
In a letter submitted by Vasu to the TDB for approval, the gold slabs at the temple were recorded as copper plates. The Board approved the letter on February 26, 2019, and subsequently decided to hand over the slabs to Unnikrishnan Potti on March 19. The slabs were removed based on an order issued by Devaswom Secretary S Jayashree.
Although Padmakumar had maintained that he was not the board president when the gold-clad plates were actually handed over to Potti, the probe team is of the view that the proposal was processed during his tenure.
So far, the SIT has arrested five persons, including the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti and Vasu, in two cases related to gold lost from Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames.
Meanwhile, the Vigilance Court in Kollam on Thursday sent former TDB President N. Vasu to SIT custody till 4 pm on Thursday. The probe team had sought his custody for further questioning.
BJP workers staged a protest outside the vigilance court, raising slogans and trying to block the vehicle transporting Vasu to the Crime Branch office.
