Lack of scientific evidence; Police to drop gold theft case in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With scientific evidence lacking, the police have no option but to drop the missing case of 13 sovereigns of gold in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

The case will be closed citing a factual error under BNS Section 14. As part of this, steps are being taken to record as many statements as possible.

The temple authorities are also satisfied with the return of the gold alloy rod weighing 13 sovereigns. A section of employees complained to the Chief Minister about being harassed by police in the name of investigation.

The police will be under pressure if they make arrests without scientific evidence. Meanwhile, ADGP H. Venkatesh is reported to have personally assessed the status of the case so far.

The police conducted an investigation focusing on CCTV cameras to pin down the suspect but to no avail. According to police, the culprit expertly loosened the gold rod but was sure about getting caught. To save himself from ignominy, the culprit dropped the gold on the path leading to the strong room.

There were planned attempts to blockade the police station if the employees taken for questioning were not released after hours of questioning.

The 42cm-long rod went missing on Saturday. It was found by police around 5 pm on Sunday during an investigation.