THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The missing gold from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple has been recovered. The gold was found in the sand inside the temple. The gold was found during a joint search conducted by the bomb squad and the police.
The theft involved 13 sovereign gold bars kept in the temple management committee's locker. Work was underway to replace the old gold plate on the front door of the shrine with a new one. When the work, which was temporarily suspended on Wednesday, resumed yesterday, it was noticed that one of the gold bars was missing. The police and temple security personnel searched the entire day, but could not find it. The gold for construction purposes in the temple was kept in the strong room. Executive officer B Mahesh had clarified that the gold is weighed and accounted for when it is taken out for work and put back in.
There are three doors in front of the Ananthasayana idol in the shrine where people can pray by looking at the head, body and feet. The work of replacing the old gold plate of the door of the first nada and adding a new gold plate is underway. For this, the gold kept in the strong room was taken out. After Wednesday's work, the gold was weighed and transferred to the room. It was discovered that the rod was missing when the gold taken out was weighed and checked to continue the work yesterday morning. The missing gold rod is made of cadmium to attach the gold plate. The work on the door was being done in the Otakkal Mandapam in front of the shrine. The temple premises, including the work site, are under surveillance by CCTV cameras.