A High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested Sabarimala senior Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru in a second case related to the alleged gold theft in Sabarimala.
Rajeevaru is accused of criminal complicity and conspiracy in the “dishonest misappropriation” of the temple's gold-plated religious artefacts in 2019.
According to the SIT, the second case pertains to an alleged conspiracy and fraud involving the preparation of a fabricated mahazar, in which gold was reportedly shown as copper.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court on Thursday arrested Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in a second case linked to the Sabarimala gold theft investigation. The arrest followed after the vigilance court gave approval for it, which is a new escalation in the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities associated with the temple.
The SIT had already filed two separate charge sheets in the case, naming 15 individuals as accused. Rajeevaru was arrested last week in one of the cases registered by the investigating team.
According to the SIT, the second case pertains to an alleged conspiracy and fraud involving the preparation of a fabricated mahazar, in which gold was reportedly shown as copper. There are also allegations of illegal transportation of wooden planks linked to temple works.
Meanwhile, the vigilance court has deferred hearing the Tantri’s bail application to January 19.
Last week, the SIT, which has registered two cases in connection with the matter, had arrested 10 persons. All of them were senior employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board, the government-run body that manages the temple, or CPI(M) leaders who headed the board.
Rajeevaru’s was the 11th arrest in that case and the first from the Tantri clan at the temple. He had been produced before the Vigilance court in Kollam, which remanded him to judicial custody.
His arrest last week, and on Thursday, comes during the peak of Sabrimala's annual festival.
