6 months ago
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The Sabarimala golden theft ungraded has taken a melodramatic caller crook with the apprehension of erstwhile Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar, raising questions astir the afloat scope of the conspiracy wrong the temple medication and however acold the lawsuit mightiness scope into the precocious echelons of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
New accusation has emerged indicating that the archetypal exertion regarding the gold, submitted by Unnikrishnan Potti, the archetypal accused successful the case, was received not by the TDB but by the Devaswom department, past nether CPI(M) Minister Kadakampally Surendran. This revelation, coming connected the heels of the apprehension of Mr. Padmakumar, a erstwhile State committee subordinate of the CPI(M) and a erstwhile legislator from Pathanamthitta, has further heightened governmental involvement successful the case.
Mr. Padmakumar’s apprehension is the 2nd high-profile 1 successful the case, the different being that of N. Vasu, besides a erstwhile TDB president, connected November 11. SIT sources corroborate that grounds against Mr. Padmakumar solidified aft investigators allegedly traced fiscal transactions betwixt him and Mr. Potti, establishing a nonstop nexus to the alleged conspiracy.
With the ongoing predetermination play successful mind, the CPI(M) has moved swiftly to framework the arrests arsenic portion of a probe conducted nether its government. Raju Abraham, CPI(M) Pathanamthitta territory secretary, said the enactment welcomed immoderate probe into the Sabarimala golden theft lawsuit and emphasised that the SIT should proceed probing Mr. Padmakumar’s alleged involvement. He reiterated that the party’s stance remained accordant with that of the State secretary—no 1 implicated successful the lawsuit volition beryllium protected.
He besides added that the territory committee would determine connected removing Mr. Padmakumar from the enactment sheet erstwhile the SIT releases afloat details of the investigation. “The SIT is taking beardown action. Anyone inactive near retired should besides beryllium brought nether the ambit of the case,” helium said.
Security tightened
Meanwhile, information has been tightened astatine Mr. Padmakumar’s residence successful Aranmula, with roads barricaded arsenic a precaution against imaginable protests against him.
The archetypal apprehension successful the case, of Mr. Potti, was made connected October 17. This was followed by the apprehension of respective elder TDB officials, including Murari Babu, astir 10 days later. Investigators person besides revealed that, six years aft the reported nonaccomplishment of golden sheets, TDB officials overlooked the discrepancy and erstwhile again despatched the panels for re-plating successful Chennai, raising questions astir administrative negligence oregon complicity.
The ungraded spans implicit six years, from June 16, 2019, to September 27, 2025, and involves a meticulously orchestrated web of elder TDB officials and erstwhile presidents. The accused allegedly siphoned disconnected golden from the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple, including doorway frames and the Dwarapalaka statues, nether the guise of regular gold-plating work. To screen their tracks, the golden panels were falsely documented arsenic gold-plated copper successful authoritative records
