6 months ago
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In a large setback to the Kerala authorities and the ruling Left Democratic Front, the peculiar probe squad (SIT) probing the theft of golden from the gold-plated copper panels of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple recorded the apprehension of erstwhile Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar successful Thiruvananthapuram connected Thursday (November 20, 2025).
A subordinate of the Pathanamthitta District Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], Mr. Padmakumar is the eighth accused successful the case.
The apprehension of Mr. Padmakumar, who appeared earlier the SIT successful the greeting for questioning, was recorded by 3 p.m. aft marathon interrogation led by the SIT squad led by its main S. Sasidharan astatine an undisclosed location. His apprehension was astir definite erstwhile the SIT started questioning the erstwhile CPI(M) MLA.
The SIT has received wide grounds linking Mr. Padmakumar with the accused who were arrested earlier and the alleged misappropriation of golden astatine Sabarimala, sources said. The fiscal transaction betwixt Unnikrishnan Potti, a cardinal accused successful the case, and Mr. Padmakumar was besides considered by the SIT, and the statements of those arrested earlier, including those of erstwhile TDB administrative serviceman Murari Babu and erstwhile TDB Commissioner N. Vasu were against Mr. Padmakumar, according to sources.
There are besides wide indications successful the statements of those arrested earlier that the manipulation of the records of Sabarimala, including mentioning the golden sheets arsenic copper sheets successful the authoritative documents, was with the cognition of Mr. Padmakumar. The SIT is investigating Mr. Padmakumar’s fiscal transactions successful detail.
It is expected that helium volition beryllium produced earlier the Vigilance tribunal successful Kollam connected Thursday.
