Investigators believe Sudheesh, who had long experience at Sabarimala, deliberately ignored the discrepancy and thereby facilitated the theft.
Published Nov 01, 2025 | 10:16 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2025 | 10:16 AM
Sabarimala
Synopsis: The SIT accuses Sudheesh of tampering with official records related to the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and helping the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, by recording the gold coverings as copper plates in 2019.
In a major breakthrough in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch has arrested former Executive Officer D Sudheesh Kumar, making him the third person taken into custody in the high-profile scandal.
According to sources, Sudheesh was arrested late Friday, 31 October night after several hours of interrogation at the Crime Branch office in Enjakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.
He will be produced before the Ranni Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Saturday, 1 November.
The SIT accuses Sudheesh of tampering with official records related to the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and helping the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, by recording the gold coverings as copper plates in 2019.
Investigators believe Sudheesh, who had long experience at Sabarimala, deliberately ignored the discrepancy and thereby facilitated the theft.
Sudheesh’s arrest follows crucial statements from the second accused, Murari Babu, then Sabarimala Administrative Officer, who told investigators that he acted under the direction of senior officials and that five Devaswom Board members had authority to alter the records.
Earlier, Potty—sponsor of the gold-covering work—and Babu were arrested for their alleged role in removing gold-plated temple materials and replacing them with copper items.
The SIT found that the stolen gold, weighing around two kgs, was smuggled out of the temple and later extracted in Chennai, with 394 grams reportedly reused for idol coverings displayed for profit.
On Friday, the SIT also questioned Potty’s close aide CK Vasudevan, who was released after interrogation.
With Sudheesh’s arrest, the SIT believes the conspiracy trail within the Travancore Devaswom Board is becoming clearer.
Investigators believe the missing gold originated from the Dwarapalaka sculptures at the Sabarimala temple. The gold-plated copper plates had been taken out in 2019 for electroplating at a Chennai-based firm – Smart Creations – but the quantity of gold that was removed from these plates allegedly never made its way back.
According to the SIT, Potty, who worked as an assistant to a priest appointed by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), transported the gold to various temples and establishments across South India without authorisation. After the plating work, he is suspected to have displayed the gold-plated panels at locations in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kerala.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
