'Immediately shift all gold valuables to strong room, tighten security'; Police chief writes to Kerala govt

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police chief directed the government to immediately shift all the gold valuables stored outside the vault at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple to the strong room. The directive suggests that all valuables donated by the devotees be shifted to the locker as soon as possible, and the police be deployed to guard them. It has also been directed that not a single person be allowed into the temple without security checks. The police chief made such a directive in a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, pointing out the serious security lapses getting repeated in the temple.

Approximately 78 grams of gold bars and coins received as offerings from devotees have gone missing. The gold lamp that was replaced for repairs was not, while a silver lamp that is not in the official records was installed in its place. An ornament called Vaira Nama has been missing for six months. The copy of the letter sent based on intelligence information has been released.

The police suspect the role of some people, closely associated with the palace, who are allowed to enter without security checks through a special entrance gate in the temple. Their names and information have been released by intelligence. Intelligence reports indicate that valuables have been going missing from the temple continuously.