20 sovereigns of gold missing from Kozhikode temple, former executive officer to face action

Kozhikode: Amid the ongoing controversy over the Sabarimala gold scam, a temple under the Malabar Devaswom Board has come under the scanner after 20 sovereigns of gold reportedly went missing. The gold, kept in the strongroom of the Balussery Kotta Vettakkorumakan Temple, is alleged to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Former temple trustee board chairpersons RC Siju and Classic Babu held a press conference on Tuesday, demanding a probe into the missing gold.

The irregularity was reportedly found on October 3, when devaswom officials found that five gold ornaments, offered to the deity, were missing from the locker. The issue came to light during a routine stock verification in the presence of an auditor from the board. The inspection was carried out after a gap of one year and six months.

Officials said they were clueless about the missing ornaments, as they received the locker key from the former executive officer only on the day of inspection. It is also learnt that the former officer had been reluctant to hand over the key to his successor despite repeated requests.

Speaking to Onmanorama, RC Siju — who is also a member of the 15th ward of the Panangad grama panchayat, where the temple is located — confirmed the inspection and the discovery of missing gold.

“The temple trust board has given the former executive officer time until noon on Wednesday to return the lost gold. If he fails to do so, the temple authorities will approach the police,” Siju said.

“As the former executive officer didn’t hand over the locker key earlier, the current officials couldn’t verify its contents. We also want clarification on the hundi (offering box) revenue collected during this period and its proper accounting. No audit has been conducted in the temple since 2020 — that’s another major concern,” he added.