Sabarimala gold theft: ED freezes assets worth Rs 1.3 crore, seizes gold bars

KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen assets worth Rs 1.3 crore belonging to the main accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case following statewide raids conducted on Tuesday. The agency said it also seized 100 grams of gold from Smart Creations, which was recovered in the form of gold bars. According to an ED statement, documents showing that gold had been misrepresented as copper were found during the searches. Several records were seized from the Devaswom Board headquarters. Orders issued between 2019 and 2024 were also taken into ED custody.

The searches were carried out on Tuesday at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka by ED officials from the Kochi Zonal Office under an operation named ‘Operation Golden Shadow’.

The ED investigation is based on two FIRs registered by the Kerala Police Crime Branch in connection with an alleged planned criminal conspiracy involving senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, former temple administrators, private sponsors, and jewellers.

According to the ED’s preliminary investigation, sacred gold-plated items from the temple, including components of the Dwarapalaka idols, pedestals, and door frame panels of the sanctum sanctorum, were deliberately recorded in official documents as mere copper sheets. The ED said these items were illegally removed from the temple premises during the period from 2019 to 2025.