ED seizes Rs 1.3 crore assets, gold bar in Sabarimala Temple theft case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of gold and valuables from Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, conducting coordinated searches at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on January 20, officials said.

The searches, carried out by the Kochi Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, stemmed from two FIRs registered by the Kerala Police Crime Branch. These FIRs flagged what the ED describes as a "well-orchestrated criminal conspiracy" involving senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), former temple administrators, private sponsors and jewellers.

According to the central agency's preliminary findings, sacred gold-clad artefacts of the temple, including parts of the Dwarapalaka idols, peedams (pedestals) and panels of the sanctum sanctorum's door frame, were allegedly misrepresented in official records as "copper plates". On the basis of these entries, the artefacts were unauthorisedly removed from the temple between 2019 and 2025 and transported to private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, including Smart Creations and Roddam Jewellers.

The ED alleged that under the pretext of repair and replating work, gold was chemically extracted from these artefacts. The extracted gold and related assets were then allegedly retained, transferred and concealed by the accused, qualifying as Proceeds of Crime under the PMLA.

Officials have also flagged possible financial irregularities linked to temple offerings and rituals. These included suspected diversion of proceeds, quality-related losses, unexplained asset accumulation and suspicious transactions involving certain officials, all of which are now part of the money laundering probe.

During the searches, officials recovered a large volume of incriminating documents and digital evidence. These included mahazars and TDB records that allegedly described gold-clad artefacts as copper, enabling their removal and extraction. The ED also seized recommendations, orders and correspondence issued between 2019 and 2024, invoices and payment records of private jewellers, and warranty certificates related to chemical extraction and replating work.

Additional documents, the agency said, point to systemic irregularities in temple operations, including manipulation of ritual-related proceeds and questionable financial dealings.

As part of the action, the ED froze eight immovable properties belonging to the prime accused, valued at around Rs 1.3 crore, under Section 17(1A) of the PMLA to prevent dissipation of assets. A 100-gram gold bar was also seized from the premises of Smart Creations in Chennai.

The ED said the seized materials and digital evidence are being analysed to quantify the exact proceeds of the crime, trace the money-laundering trail and identify other beneficiaries linked to the alleged Sabarimala Temple scam.

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