Sabarimala gold theft: Hoarded documents seized from Devaswom Board headquarters; former executive officer Sudheesh likely to be arrested

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Special Investigation Team probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Friday recovered key documents related to the gold plating of the Sabarimala Sreekovil, a project funded by industrialist Vijay Mallya. The 420-page file was found at the Devaswom Board headquarters, which had earlier claimed that the records were missing.

Records showing the import of 24-carat gold from Switzerland were also found. The files were discovered in a storage room at the Chief Engineer’s office under the maintenance department. Vigilance officials continued inspections at the board headquarters late into the night.

Meanwhile, more Devaswom officials involved in the large-scale gold theft are now under the scanner. Former Executive Officer D Sudheesh Kumar is being questioned by the special investigation team and is likely to be arrested soon. He is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy. The questioning has been going on at the Crime Branch office in Eanchakkal since yesterday afternoon

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While in charge, Sudheesh illegally submitted a report to the Devaswom Board recommending permission to gold-plate the Dwarapalaka statues. This recommendation was based on an email received from Smart Creations, Chennai.

Sudheesh, who had worked at Sabarimala for many years, knew that around 30.291 kilograms of gold had been used to cover almost the entire Sreekovil during 1998–99. Yet, in the official mahazars prepared when the gold sheets were removed for renovation, he falsely wrote that they were only copper. This allowed Unnikrishnan Potty to take possession of the gold.

At the time of the gold theft, Murari Babu, who served as the Sabarimala Administrative Officer, was also in custody. His remand period ended yesterday, after which Sudheesh Kumar was taken into custody for further questioning.

False claim to hide theft

1. Despite several requests, the Devaswom Board had not handed over the documents related to the gold plating sponsored by Vijay Mallya. The files were hidden to prevent the extent of the gold theft from being exposed. The board kept saying the documents were “missing.” The investigation team then raided the Chief Engineer’s office at the Devaswom headquarters and recovered the records. The board later claimed it had “found” the documents and handed them over voluntarily.
2. The recovered files will help identify how much gold was stolen from the Dwarapalaka statues and the temple’s wooden structures. They also detail where and how much gold donated by Vijay Mallya was actually used. After a detailed examination, investigators will compare the current quantity of gold with the records, revealing the exact amount that was stolen.