Sabarimala gold theft: N Vijayakumar remanded till January 12

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Devaswom Board member N Vijayakumar, who was arrested in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has been remanded till January 12. The order was issued by the Thiruvananthapuram Special Vigilance Court. Meanwhile, the bail plea filed by Vijayakumar will be considered on the 31st of this month. The remand report says that Vijayakumar conspired with former Devaswom Board president Padmakumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case and tampered with the documents.

Vijayakumar surrendered at the office of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday afternoon. He told officials that his friends and family members advised him to surrender. He also told the media that he has not committed any crime and is completely innocent. He said he is unable to bear the pressure.

The High Court had observed that all board members have equal responsibility in the case. The court had earlier criticised the investigation, saying that while Padmakumar was arrested, the probe did not move forward against former board members KP Shankaradas and N Vijayakumar, calling it a serious lapse. Vijayakumar was arrested following these observations. Padmakumar had earlier stated that he did not make decisions related to Sabarimala alone and that all decisions were made after discussions with the governing committee.