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Chennai, October 12 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gold missing from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple has arrested CPI(M) leader A. Padmakumar led former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has been named as accused.
All the members who served on the board in 2019 have been charged as the eighth accused, in a major twist in the temple gold plate scam that has rocked Kerala’s temple administration.
The then Devaswom Commissioner N. Vasu, Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer and Assistant Engineer have also been charged.
The SIT, working under Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh, registered the case on the directions of the Kerala High Court after the irregularities were highlighted by the Devaswom Vigilance SP and the Sabarimala High Commissioner.
The investigation revolves around allegations that gold was illegally extracted from the Dwarapalaka statues at Sabarimala under the pretext of electroplating.
Priest-turned-sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti, who funded the gold plating work, has been made the first accused, while his associate Kalpesh has been listed as the second accused. They allegedly extracted gold from the coverings of the statues, causing financial loss to the board.
According to SIT sources, Unnikrishnan Potti had first requested the Devaswom officials in 2019 to start plating gold on the Dwarapalaka idols. In October 2024, he emailed officials again, claiming that the color of the sculptures had “faded due to extreme climate change” and asked for the work to be redone.
On September 8, 2025, officials went ahead with the re-coating, despite existing High Court orders and Devaswom manual procedures prohibiting such deviations.
The accused have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 and 409 (criminal breach of trust), 466 and 467 (forgery of valuable documents), and 34 (common intention).
Reacting to the development, former board chairman A. Padmakumar said he was ready to cooperate fully with the investigators. “Let the court decide whether the board under me has committed any irregularities or not. I have not done anything illegal and our board has never violated any rules or customs at Sabarimala,” he told reporters. He said he welcomes the investigation and wants the truth to come out.
The case is now under the observation of the SIT, which is expected to bring clarity to one of the most controversial temple-related scams in Kerala in recent years.
–IANS
AAL/DPB