No major action for four months: Sabarimala gold heist ED probe hits standstill

KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the Sabarimala gold heist case has ground to a halt, with no significant investigation, evidence collection, or asset freezing actions taken for the past four months.

The central agency had earlier created an impression of taking stringent action after conducting simultaneous raids across 21 locations. These searches spanned the Sabarimala temple premises, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the office of Smart Creations in Chennai, a jewellery shop in Bellary, Karnataka, and the residences of various accused individuals.

Although a summons was issued to the prime suspect, Unnikrishnan Potti, sources indicate that he has not yet been questioned. The individuals named in the case registered by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala Police are the same accused listed in the Enforcement Directorate's case. While the agency had initially announced plans to freeze and confiscate the assets of these individuals, further actions have stalled. Furthermore, proposed interrogations targeting Devaswom Board members, top officials, suspected masterminds, and beneficiaries who allegedly received shares of the misappropriated wealth have not materialised. The stagnation follows the transfer of 11 personnel from the Enforcement Directorate's Kochi unit, including the investigating officer, Assistant Director Ashu Goyal. The newly posted officers have not initiated any major breakthrough investigations into the case.

Enforcement Directorate cites routine procedures for delay

Enforcement Directorate sources have attributed the current delay to routine annual closing procedures that took place toward the end of March. The agency maintained that its primary focus remains on gathering robust and clear evidence rather than rushing into arrests, noting that haste is not a priority in money laundering investigations.

The case was officially registered by the Enforcement Directorate on January 9, followed by the extensive raids across 21 centres on January 20. Thus far, the agency has frozen assets worth Rs 1.3 crore belonging to Unnikrishnan Potti and seized 100 grams of gold from Chennai-based Smart Creations. No arrests have been made by the central agency in connection with the case so far.

Among the prominent individuals who have already been questioned during the course of the investigation are Sabarimala Thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, former Travancore Devaswom Board presidents A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu, former secretary S. Jayashree, former administrative officers Murari Babu and S. Sreekumar, actor Jayaram, and middleman Kalpesh.