Sabarimala Gold Theft Investigation: Former Temple Official Detained as Conspiracy Widens

Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has detained Murari Babu, former administrative officer of the Sabarimala temple, in connection with the gold plating misappropriation from Lord Ayyappa's sacred shrine. Babu was taken into custody last night and transported to Thiruvananthapuram early Thursday.

Investigators plan to conduct joint questioning with Unnikrishnan Potti, who was previously arrested after being entrusted with the temple's gold-plating work in 2019.

According to the SIT, Babu reportedly manipulated temple records by registering gold items as copper, effectively concealing the disappearance of valuable materials from the temple inventory.

The investigation team has seized the Travancore Devaswom Board's Minutes Book from 2019, which documents the official decision to entrust gold sheets and plating materials to Unnikrishnan Potti. In their report to the Kerala High Court, the SIT accused certain Devaswom Board members and employees of acting on behalf of private interests and clearly manipulating official records.

Investigators have also claimed that the Board deliberately obstructed the investigation by only producing records after multiple requests, raising suspicions of a potential cover-up.

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court expressed serious concerns about what appears to be a broader, well-orchestrated conspiracy. The Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar observed that events since 2019 strongly indicate a coordinated effort across multiple levels of the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The judges emphasized that this gold theft cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident, suggesting the possibility of a systemic conspiracy spanning several years and multiple temple projects.

Court documents reviewed indicate the judiciary's intention to establish an independent court-monitored investigation to supervise the Sabarimala gold theft case, free from the technical limitations of the earlier Special Commissioner's report proceedings.

The case originated in 2019 when gold plating from the Dwarapalaka idols and side panels of the temple's sanctum (Sreekovil) was reportedly removed for renovation. This task was assigned to Unnikrishnan Potti, a long-time contractor and "sponsor" associated with temple renovation projects.

Investigations revealed that officials had improperly classified gold-plated idols as 'copper plates,' enabling their removal from the shrine against regulations requiring such sacred work to be performed inside temple premises. The idols were never weighed upon their return, allowing gold quantity discrepancies to remain undetected for years.

The SIT has now confirmed that Unnikrishnan Potti was permitted to keep over 400 grams of temple gold, allegedly for personal use including a family wedding. In total, approximately 475 grams of gold remain unaccounted for, a discovery that has significantly impacted the state's temple administration system.