THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch has registered two cases in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft, naming Unnikrishnan Potty as the first accused. A total of ten people, including administrative officer Murari Babu, have been charged. Further actions, including arrests, are expected soon.

Murari Babu, who allegedly falsified records to show that gold sheets were copper, is currently under suspension. Former Devaswom secretary, Thiruvabharanam commissioner, and executive officers are among the accused. The officials of Chennai’s Smart Creations, where the gold plating was done, will also be charged later, though they are not yet listed as accused.

The gold plating from the Dwarapalaka sculptures was stolen in March 2019, and the gold from the sanctum’s door frames was stolen in August 2019. Since different officials had signed the records in the two incidents, separate FIRs have been registered. The charges include theft, conspiracy, breach of trust, and falsification of documents, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The cases, filed at the Crime Branch headquarters, will be handed over to the Special Investigation Team. As per the High Court’s directive, the investigation report must be submitted within six weeks. The probe is being led under the supervision of Crime Branch chief H. Venkatesh. So far, investigators have found that 474.9 grams of gold were misappropriated, but the total amount may be higher.

Before the Dwarapalaka sculptures were sent to Chennai, the copper panels from the temple’s door were also given to Unnikrishnan Potty. Although the Executive Officer’s initial letter described them as gold-plated copper panels, later letters from the Devaswom Commissioner and the board’s order only referred to them as copper panels. The Devaswom Board order issued in March 2019 also used the same wording, as did a report prepared in May 2019.

List of accused

Unnikrishnan Potty

Administrative Officer Murari Babu (suspended)

Former Devaswom Secretary S. Jayasree

Former Thiruvabharanam Commissioners K.S. Baiju and R.G. Radhakrishnan

Former Executive Officers D. Sudheesh Kumar and V.S. Rajendra Prasad

Assistant Engineer K. Sunil Kumar

Former Administrative Officers S. Sreekumar and K. Rajendran Nair

Inspection at the temple

An inspection of the Sannidhanam strong room has started under the supervision of Retd. Justice K.T. Sankaran, appointed as Amicus Curiae by the High Court. All items stored there are being verified. The records do not follow the format specified in the Devaswom manual. Many details written in the reports are missing from the register, and vice versa.

Officials will also check whether the old gold-plated doors, once donated by Vijay Mallya, are still there and verify their authenticity. Once the Sannidhanam inspection is complete, the next round of checking will take place at the main strong room in Aranmula tomorrow.