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Thiruvananthapuram: In a major development in the Padmanabhaswamy temple gold theft case, the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial Magistrate Court has ordered polygraph (lie-detector) test on six temple employees in the case of gold missing from the temple strong room.
The Padmanabhaswamy temple, located in the heart of the state capital, is one of the richest and most revered temples in the country, and has been under close surveillance and court monitoring following an earlier Supreme Court intervention on the management of its treasury.
The fresh directive comes as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court has made arrests in another high-profile case – the Sabarimala temple gold theft, in which four people, including three employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board, have been arrested.
The court order came after an application by the Fort police, which is investigating the Padmanabhaswamy case.
Investigators said the tests are expected to help clarify the circumstances under which the gold extracted to gild the doors of the Srikovil (sanctum sanctorum) went missing.
According to the police, about 13 coins (about 104 grams) of gold went missing between May 7 and May 10 this year.
After discovering the deficiency, the temple manager lodged a complaint.
During the investigation, police recovered a portion of gold buried in the sand within the temple complex, identified as gold bars, believed to be part of the missing stock.
While allowing polygraph testing, the court directed that written consent be obtained from each of the six employees before the procedure.
Although not admissible as direct evidence, lie-detector results often assist investigators in assessing the consistency of statements and identifying potential inconsistencies.
Police officials said forensic formalities would be completed soon, adding that polygraph findings could play a crucial role in determining whether the missing gold was stolen, misplaced, or hidden during renovation work.
With the latest order of the court, the investigation has entered a decisive phase to unravel the mystery of the temple’s missing gold.
–IANS