The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has arrested the temple's Chief Priest Kandararu Rajeevaru in connection with the case.
According to officials, the arrest was made based on statements given by prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and former Travancore Devaswom Board president Padmakumar.
What is the Sabarimala gold theft case?
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.
What SIT said?
The Special Investigation Team found that Rajeevaru had close associations with prime accused Potty and had recommended the replating of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) plates and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframe plates at the temple.
Later, when the Travancore Devaswom Board sought his permission for the replating, Rajeevaru had granted his approval, officials said.
SIT officials said Rajeevaru had been questioned earlier during the course of the investigation. He is the 11th person to be arrested in the case after the Kerala High Court constituted the SIT to probe the gold loss incident.
Rajeevaru was questioned at an undisclosed location in the morning and later shifted to the SIT office in the afternoon, where his arrest was formally recorded, sources said.
‘…far more disturbing'
In December last year, Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, had expressed anguish over the unfolding Sabarimala gold controversy, describing the developments as “far more disturbing than what we first knew”.
He demanded a CBI probe to uncover the truth behind the disturbing revelations regarding the temple's gold and idol thefts, asserting the need for justice for devotees.
Chandrasekhar alleged that the looting at Sabarimala extended beyond 4.5 kg of gold. “Investigations now show that under the LDF-appointed Devaswom board, 4 Panchaloha idols were taken out of Sabarimala and sold to international criminal networks,” he claimed.
On Monday, the Kerala High Court expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged heist and plundering of gold from the gold-clad Dwarapalakas and other structures of the Sabarimala Sreekovil, and granted the team an additional six weeks to complete the investigation.
The SIT informed the Court that 181 witnesses have been examined till date, reported news wire ANI.
