The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged gold theft at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.
The federal probe agency, which recently registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is investigating a series of alleged irregularities, including official misconduct, administrative lapses, and a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate gold from various artefacts at the hill shrine.
While details of the raids are not immediately available, reports said the agency has launched searches at 21 locations, including premises linked to the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, in Bengaluru, and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar.
The ED raids have also covered the residence of another accused, Murari Babu, in Kottayam; N. Vasu’s house in Petta; the premises of Ballari-based gold trader Govardhan; and establishments linked to Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations. The TDB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram was also searched by the agency.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala Police is already probing the politically sensitive case, which has put the ruling CPI(M) in the state on the defensive. The SIT is investigating the alleged loss of gold from the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.
On Monday, the SIT filed a status report in the Kerala High Court stating that 11 people have so far been arrested in connection with two cases related to the loss of gold from the temple, while the involvement of three more individuals is under active scrutiny.
Those arrested included temple’s chief priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru, who was taken into custody last Tuesday and is currently lodged at the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail.