India News | Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Court Sends Former Temple Board Officer to 14-day Remand

Pathanamthitta (Kerala) [India], October 23 (ANI): Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Executive Officer Murari Babu has been remanded for 14 days by the Ranni Court in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case. He will be shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail.

Murari Babu, currently under suspension, was taken into custody from his residence in Perunna late last night by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). He was produced before the court after questioning at the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram, where his arrest was formally recorded on Thursday morning.

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According to the SIT remand report, Murari Babu played a key role in falsifying documents that claimed the gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple were made of copper. He is the second accused in the 2019 theft of the gilded overlays of the temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels. The first accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, was arrested earlier.

The SIT suspects that Babu, who had served in senior positions within the Devaswom Board for several years, colluded with Potti by submitting a false report during the 2019 restoration process. The internal audit wing had earlier held him responsible for the discrepancy.

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The case gained renewed attention after Unnikrishnan Potti, in the run-up to the TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sanghamam in September, claimed that four gold-plated panels he donated in 2019 were missing. The TDB Vigilance recovered the missing panels from Potti's sister's residence in Thiruvananthapuram, leading the Kerala High Court to order a detailed SIT probe into all TDB transactions involving him.

Earlier, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a probe by a central agency into the alleged "corruption, misappropriation, and violations" in Kerala temples, including the Sabarimala Temple, managed by Devaswom Boards.

Chandrasekhar also requested the Union Home Minister to direct a thorough audit of all Devaswom Boards by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, with the findings to be published in the public domain to identify those who have "committed crimes in our temples and enable their prosecution."

Earlier, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, P.S. Prasanth, suspended Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar for his alleged involvement in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Kumar has been named as an accused in the case.

Prasanth stated that retired officers involved in the gold-plating controversy will receive a show-cause notice, with a 10-day time frame to respond. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)