Sabarimala Chief Priest Held in Gold Theft Probe, SIT Raids Chengannur Home
Sabarimala Chief Priest Held in Gold Theft Probe, SIT Raids Chengannur Home
SIT raids Chengannur residence of Sabarimala's chief priest in widening gold theft case, seizing artefacts and tracing financial trails.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft conducted a prolonged search-and-seizure operation at the private residence of Kandararu Rajeevaru, the senior Tantri of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, in Chengannur. He was arrested on Friday in connection with the gold theft case. The team included forensic experts, accredited gold appraisers, police videographers, cyber police personnel and document experts, who accompanied the operation as they methodically combed the home for artefacts and financial records.
Officials said the SIT was focused on creating an inventory of artefacts, including gold ornaments, to audit their provenance and confiscate objects such as bank statements and legal documents related to the case. Investigators are also tracing a financial trail tied to Rajeevaru’s decades-long dealings with Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the case, amid suspicions of how temple assets were diverted.
They alleged that Rajeevaru helped facilitate the Travancore Devaswom Board’s 2019 decision to hand over the temple’s gold-plated copper panels to Potti for restoration, a move the SIT contends could have created an opening for misappropriation. The investigation could also touch on private pujas staged by celebrities who chartered artefacts for use at residences and business premises, potentially charging them with harbouring or receiving stolen property under IPC sections 411 and 414.
SIT officials said Rajeevaru’s status as a beneficiary of an honorarium from the TDB placed him within the frame of an anti-corruption inquiry, prompting closer scrutiny of wealth beyond his known income. In a separate development, Rajeevaru was hospitalised after signs of physical distress, with doctors reporting fatigue, lack of appetite and dizziness.
With the probe continuing, authorities stressed that findings will be shared with relevant agencies and that the case remains open to further action, including possible arrests and indictments as new evidence surfaces.
