Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: SIT Arrests Former Travancore Devaswom Board Member Vijayakumar

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Monday made another arrest, taking former Travancore Devaswom Board member Vijayakumar into custody from Thiruvananthapuram.

The Sabarimala gold controversy centres on allegations of irregularities in the gold plating at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.

Earlier on December 26, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday conducted a raid at the residence of D Mani, alias Balamurugan, in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case, who is under the shadow of allegations in the case.

Last week, the SIT arrested Smart Creation CEO Pankaj Bhandari and Govardhan, a Bellary-based jewellery owner, in the Sabarimala gold theft case, Kerala DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar said.

On November 26, the SIT took into custody A. Padmakumar, former Sabarimala Executive Committee President and a CPI(M) Pathanamthitta district committee member, in connection with the sanctum gold heist case. Padmakumar, who also served as a former Konni MLA, was taken into custody after the Kollam Vigilance Court approved the SIT's request. He had earlier been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.

On November 7, the SIT arrested former Thiruvabharanam temple Commissioner K.S. Baiju, while the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, was taken into custody on October 17. The SIT has submitted multiple reports to the Kerala High Court, pointing to serious irregularities in the Travancore Devaswom Board's records.

Meanwhile, Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheeshan on Sunday had criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) over the arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Political Affairs Committee member N Subrahmanyan from his residence, terming it an "authoritarian" act.