SIT arrests Sabarimala administrative officer in gold missing case

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing gold from the Sabarimala temple arrested former administrative officer B Murari Babu, sources said on Thursday.

Babu, who was suspended by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) following the gold missing row, was taken into custody from his residence in Changanassery on Wednesday night, they said.

He was later shifted to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for interrogation, officials said.

Babu's relatives reached the Crime Branch office on Thursday morning.

At around 10 am, SIT recorded Babu's arrest and informed his relative about the procedure, sources said.

They were later allowed to meet the Babu.

SIT will produce Babu before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Pathanamthitta here in the evening, officials said.

SIT is likely to file a petition in court seeking custody of Babu for detailed interrogation.

He is an accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.

In 2019, when the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, proposed electroplating the Dwarapalaka idols to the TDB, Babu forwarded the proposal to the board, claiming that the gold-cladded plates were made of copper.

He reportedly forwarded a similar proposal from Potty again in 2025.

Babu was serving as Deputy Devaswom Commissioner in Haripad when he was suspended from service recently.

The TDB Vigilance, which conducted a preliminary inquiry, had submitted a report raising suspicion about the involvement of certain board officials in the removal of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil.

The Vigilance also pointed out serious lapses by Babu and seven other TDB officials in handing over the gold-clad plates to Potty.

The SIT, which is probing the case at the direction of the Kerala High Court, has already arrested Potty.