Former TDB member Vijaykumar arrested in Sabarimala gold loss case

Former TDB member N Vijayakumar was arrested on Monday in the Sabarimala gold loss case, police said.

Police sources said Vijayakumar, who was a member of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) during the tenure of former President A Padmakumar, has already been arrested in the case related to the loss of gold from the door of the Srikovil (sanctum sanctorum).

During the tenure of the board, in 2019, approval was given to hand over the gold plates to the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti for electroplating.

Vijayakumar was summoned to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was interrogated.

Sources said that his arrest was registered after interrogation.

Later he will be produced before the Kollam vigilance court.

With his arrest, Vijayakumar became the 10th accused to be arrested by the SIT under the investigation into the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Srikovil doors at the Sabarimala temple.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court, while considering a petition related to the Sabarimala gold loss case, had criticized the SIT for not investigating the role of former TDB members KP Sankardas and Vijayakumar.

The SIT was formed on the directions of the High Court, which earlier this month had given the team an additional six months to complete the investigation.