SIT arrests Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in gold theft case

Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday arrested Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru (chief priest) in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case. He was initially summoned for questioning at a secret location, following which his arrest was formally recorded at the Crime Branch office in Enjakkal, Thiruvananthapuram. 

He was then presented before the Vigilance Court in Kollam, which remanded him to 14-day judicial custody. Rajeevaru was taken into custody after being kept under surveillance for a considerable period. Investigators said he had introduced Unnikrishnan Potty to other accused in the case, and that his long-standing association with Potty was corroborated by call data records. 

According to TDB documents from 2019, the Devaswom Commissioner granted permission to Unnikrishnan Potty to carry out repair works and gold-plating of the copper sheets covering the Dwarapalakas on both sides of the sanctum sanctorum doors, as well as the copper sheets covering the south and north corners of the sanctum sanctorum, based on the recommendation of the Sabarimala Executive Officer and the opinion of the Tantri.

However, the SIT had not bought the contention of Tantri being involved in the recent statement of facts presented while objecting to A Padmakumar's bail plea. The statement of facts notes that none of the official correspondence, including the Executive Officer D Sudheesh Kumar’s letter, the note of N Vasu, or the Board order from March 2019, mentions any request or recommendation from the Tantri, and that the Tantri’s opinion was neither sought nor was any Anunja performed in connection with the work.

He is the 11th person to be arrested in the case after the Kerala High Court constituted the SIT to probe the gold loss cases involving 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) at Sabarimala. Those named as accused include Unnikrishnan Potty, Roddam Pandurangaiah Naga Govardhan, a jeweller from Ballari in Karnataka, former Travancore Devaswom Board presidents A Padmakumar, N Vasu, and former TDB secretary S Jayasree.

On Tuesday, the SIT informed the Kerala High Court that its probe had uncovered a “larger plan” by the accused to dismantle additional gold-clad plates from the Lord Ayyappa temple and misappropriate the precious metal. The agency also told the court that it had found evidence of serious official misconduct, administrative lapses and a criminal conspiracy to siphon off gold from various temple artefacts.