Sabarimala gold heist: ED summons chief priest, ex-board president
The Sabarimala temple's chief priest, Rajeevaru, and former Devaswom Board president N. Vasu have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the alleged Sabarimala gold theft at the shrine.
The case centers on about 4.5kg of gold missing from decorative cladding on idols and doors—an amount that has raised questions about an earlier gold donation.
Gold worth ₹60 lakh went missing
The gold cladding (42.8kg) was given to Unnikrishnan Potti for electroplating but came back lighter by several kilos, raising suspicions of missing gold from parts of the temple structure and other plates.
Since then, a special team has arrested several people—including Potti and a jeweler—and frozen assets worth ₹1.3 crore.
The ED is now questioning top temple officials as part of its ongoing investigation; some accused were recently granted bail after spending three months in custody without formal charges being filed yet.