Former Sabarimala Official Arrested for Falsifying Records in Major Temple Gold Theft Case

The Special Investigation Team will present Sudheesh Kumar to the Ranni court on Saturday.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Sudheesh Kumar, former executive officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board, has been apprehended in relation to the Sabarimala temple gold theft case. Following extensive questioning on Thursday evening, Special Investigation Team (SIT) officers took him into custody and formally recorded his arrest.

The investigation revealed that Sudheesh Kumar deliberately misrepresented the gold-plated layers on gatekeeper sculptures as "copper layers" in official documentation, despite having knowledge of their true gold composition. The SIT determined that he aided the principal suspect, Unnikrishnan Potti, in the theft of gold by manipulating the mahasar (official record).

While serving as Sabarimala executive officer in 2019, Sudheesh endorsed Unnikrishnan Potti as a sponsor and advocated for his acceptance by the Devaswom Board by falsely characterizing the material as copper sheets. Even during the tampering of sculptures by officials, Sudheesh maintained the copper description in the records.

Evidence recovered by the SIT demonstrates that Sudheesh recorded Potti's name in official documents despite Potti never receiving the sheets.

Investigators additionally discovered that Sudheesh collaborated with another suspect, Murari Babu, in the gold theft operation.

The SIT plans to produce Sudheesh Kumar before the Ranni court on Saturday and will likely request extended custody to facilitate further interrogation.