ED Raids 20 Locations in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case

• ED searches underway at 20 locations in three states
• Case relates to disappearance of about 4.5 kg gold from Sabarimala
• Probe traces irregularities back to 1998–99 re-gilding works
• Agency investigating money trail and benami links

GG News Bureau
New Delhi/ Thiruvananthapuram, 20th Jan: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday intensified its investigation into the Sabarimala temple gold theft case, conducting simultaneous raids at 20 locations across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in a bid to unravel the financial trail behind the alleged misappropriation of temple gold.

Officials said the searches are being carried out at premises linked to contractors, intermediaries, jewelers, and firms suspected to have handled the metal during repair and re-plating work at the hill shrine. The central agency is focusing on possible money laundering, diversion of proceeds, and benami transactions connected to the missing gold.

The case first came to light in 2019, but investigators have traced the roots of the irregularities to 1998–99, when extensive gold plating was undertaken at the Sabarimala temple. According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), in 2019, gold-coated idols weighing 42.8 kg were removed from the shrine for repairs. When returned, their weight had dropped to 38.2 kg — indicating a shortfall of around 4.5 kg.

The idols of guardian deities and several temple components were sent to a private firm in Chennai for re-plating, a move later criticised by the court as improper since such work is normally carried out within temple premises. The SIT found, through photographic comparisons, that gold plating had been stripped from idols, doors, steps and carved sections of the temple.

Investigators also alleged that the Travancore Devaswom Board recorded gold plates as copper plates in official documents — a lapse described by the court as serious. While the SIT ruled out direct theft from the main idol of Lord Ayyappa, it confirmed that gold had gone missing from other parts of the shrine.

The probe revealed that gold was chemically extracted from plates at the Chennai workshop, re-plated in smaller quantities, and the extracted metal eventually reached a jeweller in Ballari, Karnataka.

So far, 11 people have been arrested in the case, including contractor Unnikrishnan Potti, a Ballari-based jeweller, the owner of the Chennai firm, and three CPI(M) leaders — among them former MLA A. Padmakumar. The temple’s chief priest was also arrested earlier by the SIT.

With the ED now stepping in, the investigation has moved from criminal culpability to financial forensics. Officials said further raids and summons are likely as the money trail becomes clearer.