Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday revealed major developments in the Sabarimala Temple gold theft case, recovering extensive documents and digital evidence exposing systematic misappropriation of sacred gold-clad artefacts between 2019 and 2025.

The probe has unearthed thefts involving components of the Dwarapalaka idol, temple pedestals, and sanctum sanctorum door panels. Officials said the agency froze eight immovable properties of the prime accused worth around Rs 1.3 crore under Section 17(1A) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to prevent dissipation of the crime proceeds. A 100-gram gold bar was also seized from Smart Creations in Chennai, reportedly used in the extraction operations.

The ED conducted raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, based on FIRs registered by the Kerala Police Crime Branch. Investigations revealed a criminal conspiracy involving senior Travancore Devaswom Board officials, former temple administrators, private sponsors, and jewellers. Sacred artefacts were allegedly misrepresented in official records as “copper plates” and unlawfully transported to private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka for gold extraction under the pretext of repair and replating.

“These recovered assets, including extracted gold, constitute Proceeds of Crime, retained and concealed by the accused,” an ED official said. The probe has also flagged other irregularities related to temple offerings and rituals, which are being examined under the PMLA framework.

Officials confirmed that all seized evidence is under scrutiny to quantify the total Proceeds of Crime, map the money-laundering trail, and identify further beneficiaries.