The Kerala Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday arrested Kandararu Rajeevaru, the former Tantri or chief priest of the Sabarimala Temple, in connection with the alleged disappearance of gold from the door frames of the Sreekovil, or sanctum sanctorum, in the high-profile Sabarimala gold theft case.
The arrest followed permission granted by a vigilance court in Kollam on Wednesday, allowing the SIT to take Rajeevaru into custody. After receiving the court’s approval, the investigation team proceeded to the judicial custody facility where Rajeevaru was already lodged in connection with an earlier case. The SIT formally recorded his arrest at the custody premises.
This marks the second time Rajeevaru has been arrested in the ongoing investigation. Last Friday, the SIT had taken him into custody for the first time after questioning him at an undisclosed location. He was later brought to the SIT office, where his arrest was officially documented.
According to investigators, the initial case against Rajeevaru pertains to allegations that gold used for plating the Sabarimala temple’s door frames and Dwarapalaka, or guardian deity idols, in 2019 was not returned in its entirety. This shortfall raised suspicions of misappropriation and possible theft, triggering a deeper probe into the handling of the gold.
The SIT, which is functioning under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, has so far arrested 12 individuals in connection with the gold theft case. The investigation has widened to include several former officials associated with the temple administration.
On Wednesday, the probe team arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member K P Sankara Das from a private hospital in Kerala. Das was taken into custody in connection with the same two cases involving the alleged disappearance of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames.
Earlier in the investigation, the SIT had also arrested former TDB presidents N Vasu and A Padmakumar, along with former board member N Vijayakumar. All of them remain in judicial custody as the investigation continues to examine the extent of alleged irregularities in the handling of temple gold.
