Sabarimala gold theft: Who is next in SIT's list?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Who will SIT arrest next in the Sabarimala gold theft case? Since A. Padmakumar revealed the name of the former minister, it remains to be seen whether political elites will also be implicated.

Padmakumar’s statement:

The board received the application submitted by Potty to the then Devaswom Minister to remove the gold-plated copper plates that form the steps of the inner sanctum's door of the shrine. More than half a dozen officials, including the Executive Officer and the Devaswom Commissioner, examined it. The file reached the board with the recommendation of the then Commissioner N. Vasu. The recommendation was to give the copper sheets to Potty to be gold-plated. The board accepted it as is.

Meanwhile, former minister Kadakampally Surendran called the Devaswom board an independent body not requiring government order to make decisions.

Padmakumar had previously said that not a single grain of gold was lost during his tenure as president. The statements that felt fabricated led to the accused, said SIT.

Meanwhile, Padmakumar had earlier revealed that people who considered godly were behind the gold theft. This remark also casts doubt on the Thantri. The Devaswom Vigilance previously investigated the role of the Thantri. The Thantri's name was in the Mahazar regarding the gold plates. However, it was found that although the Thantri did not sign, his name was written on it.

Seven people, including Murari Babu, signed the Mahazar. There are also indications that the Thantri obstructed the transportation of the plates. The SIT is also investigating whether the Thantri, who clearly knew that the ones sponsored by Vijay Mallya were gold-plated, committed any lapses. The Thantri's connections with some temples in Bengaluru are also under investigation.

The fraud in the gold plating of the shrine's door remains to be revealed. In 1998, the door of the shrine was covered with more than two and a half kilos of gold. In 2019, Unnikrishnan Potty replaced it with a new one, citing that the shine had lost its sheen and the possibility of rats entering inside. It is reported that only 40 sovereigns of this were plated.