Sabarimala gold scam: ED raids 21 locations, including TDB headquarters, houses of accused

Thiruvananthapuram: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) launched raids at 21 locations across various parts of India on Tuesday morning as part of its probe into the controversial Sabarimala gold theft case. The headquarters of the Travancore Devaswom Board and the houses of accused Unnikrishnan Potty, Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, A Padmakumar, Murari Babu, N Vasu and others facing charges in the case are being raided. News channels have been airing visuals of the raids at various locations in Kerala, including Kochi, Angamaly, Pathanamthitta, and Thiruvananthapuram.

This is the first move taken by the central agency after registering a case over the misappropriation of gold from the idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. As per reports, ED officials from Delhi have been deployed in various parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka for the search operations.

As per reports, the office of Smart Creations in Chennai, Unnikrishnan Potty’s house, and jewellery owned by the accused Govardhan in Bengaluru are also being raided.

The ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the first week of January.

The case, which centres on the alleged theft of gold from the temple’s door frame and the Dwarapalaka idols, has seen a tumultuous investigative timeline. Initially handled by the State Crime Branch, the probe was transferred to the High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team following intense political backlash against the State Government. The ED had been quietly monitoring the situation since October last year, initiating preliminary inquiries after potential money laundering aspects surfaced.