Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested former Devaswom Board Executive Officer D. Sudheesh Kumar on Saturday in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case.
According to officials, Sudheesh Kumar was brought to the Crime Branch office at Eanchakkal in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and questioned for several hours before his arrest was officially recorded today. His arrest marks the third in the case, which involves the alleged theft of gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels.
Earlier, the SIT, appointed by the Kerala High Court, questioned Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Smart Creation in Chennai, over the alleged disappearance of gold linked to the temple’s restoration work. The company had undertaken the electroplating of gold-clad copper coverings for the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple.
Meanwhile, the SIT brought the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, to Chennai after conducting a raid at his residence in Bengaluru. On Friday, he was taken to Bengaluru for evidence collection and has been remanded to police custody until October 30. The SIT is probing his involvement in the 2019 theft of the gold-plated panels.
On Thursday, the Ranni Court remanded former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Executive Officer Murari Babu to 14 days’ custody in connection with the case. Babu, currently under suspension, was taken into custody from his residence in Perunna late Wednesday night by the SIT and produced before the court after questioning at the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram, where his arrest was formally recorded.
