Sabarimala gold theft case: ED raids 20+ locations across Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

ED conducts raids at 20+ locations in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu in Sabarimala gold case.

As part of the ongoing probe into the Sabarimala gold theft, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at more than 20 locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following a case registered after taking cognisance of an FIR filed by the Kerala police.

In Bengaluru, ED teams raided the Srirampura Ayyappa Temple and the residence of one of its trustees, inspecting documents to trace alleged diversion and misuse of temple gold. Premises linked to Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused, were also searched.

In Ballari district, officials raided Roddham Jewellery, suspected to be connected with the stolen gold. Earlier, Kerala’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) had arrested Govardhan, owner of the jewellery shop. The ED also searched his residence in Ballari and locations tied to Smart Creations in Chennai.

Additional raids were conducted at the residence of Sabarimala’s chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru, former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar, and the TDB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 10 ED personnel were reportedly involved in some of the coordinated operations.

The case, already under investigation by a Kerala High Court-supervised SIT, revolves around alleged administrative lapses, official misconduct, and criminal conspiracy related to the misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala shrine. The SIT’s probe focuses on missing gold from the ‘Dwarapalaka’ (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the ‘Sreekovil’ (sanctum sanctorum).