The Kerala High Court’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has increased its investigation into a major theft case at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The case involves the alleged theft and misuse of gold-plated copper moulds that were once used to decorate the temple’s stone sculptures and carvings.
Sabarimala Gold Theft Case Latest News
The Kerala High Court’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intesified its investigation into a major theft case at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The investigation has taken a new turn with the SIT recently taking a Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) official, Murari Babu, into custody for questioning. He issecond accused. This move suggests the investigators are focusing on the involvement of temple authorities in the alleged misappropriation of the valuable moulds.
TDB Official Held for Questioning on Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The SIT officials in plainclothes picked up Murari Babu from his Perunna, Kottayam home late on Wednesday night, according to officials. He was produced at the Enchakkal office of the Kerala Police Crime Branch, where he was held for questioning. Earlier, the SIT had already identified Babu as an accused in the case, following inquiries into the TDB’s internal vigilance report.
Murari Babu Questioned on Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The internal audit report had implicated Murari Babu in presenting a false metallurgical report. He reportedly asserted that the gold-plated temple panels to be restored during 2019 had no gold and consisted only of copper. Based on this false report, the TDB transferred the panels to Unnikrishnan Potti, who is the key suspect in the case today.
The Missing Gold Panels in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The row broke out in the run-up to the September TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sanghamam when Unnikrishnan Potti revealed that four gold-plated panels donated by him to the temple in 2019 had vanished.
Following this, the TDB Vigilance launched an internal probe and later recovered the missing panels from the house of Potti’s sister in Thiruvananthapuram. This led the Kerala High Court to direct an SIT investigation into all TDB transactions involving Potti.
Alleged Fraud in Restoration By Police in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
Police officials discovered that the re-gilded panels weighed much lighter than when they were originally dispatched to a metal works section in Chennai. Potti and his team had offered to repair the coverings for free but were accused of withholding them in their possession for 39 days, fueling suspicion of tampering.
SIT suspects that Potti could have duplicated the moulds and sold the genuine gold panels to a rich private collector. There is also video footage indicating that Potti rented out the artifacts to rich devotees, including film stars, for personal worship in return for large sums.
Investigation for Sabarimala Gold Theft Case Intensified to TDB Officials
The inquiry is now being directed towards Murari Babu, who, according to the SIT, facilitated the fraud by producing a deceitful report on the metal content of the panels. Babu has since been put on suspension from service, and the Nair Service Society (NSS) has terminated his membership. He had been the NSS Perunna Taluk Union Vice President for many years.
The SIT has identified nine current and retired TDB officials as accused, including those who are accused of having assisted Potti in his alleged wrongdoing.
How Case of Unnikrishnan Potti in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case Became Curious
Investigators also want to know how Potti, having been a deputy to a junior priest from 2004 to 2008, was able to become influential in the temple administration. With time, he became influential, bringing in rich donors and holding extravagant religious rituals and festivals at Sabarimala. The SIT suspects that Potti might have replaced or melted the original gold panels and sold them to private collectors for personal gain.
Political Connections in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The SIT’s investigation has now reached two retired TDB presidents and Devaswom Commissioners who are political appointments to probe possible complicity or negligence in the scandal.
With the investigation going deeper, the Sabarimala gold panel scam has turned out to be one of the most controversial Kerala temple misappropriation cases involving religion, politics, and corruption at the top echelons of temple governance.
