On 11th November, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu. He had served twice as Devaswom Commissioner before taking charge as TDB president. When the scam took place, he was serving as a high official at the board, and CPM leader A Padmakumar was serving as the president. Later, Vasu took charge as the president.
The arrest has been made in connection with the theft of gold from the Sreekovil door frame. Vasu’s arrest is the first high-profile arrest in the matter. He was interrogated multiple times by the SIT before being arrested on Tuesday.
During the investigation, the SIT found that Vasu issued a permit allowing Unnikrishnan Potti to take the gold-plated sheet for electroplating in Chennai. Furthermore, SIT officials alleged that the gold-clad sheet was mentioned as a copper sheet in the Devaswom order and in the mahazar on Vasu’s instructions in March 2019.
Vasu, who is a CPM leader, has good connections with the party’s state leadership. Notably, a co-accused in the case also gave statements proving the alleged involvement of Vasu in the matter. In a statement, Unnikrishnan told the SIT that he had emailed Vasu about the gold that was left over after the renovation of the door frames and dwarapalaka idols.
He further told Vasu that he was in possession of the additional gold and wanted to spend it on the marriage of a girl who needed financial assistance, with the board’s cooperation. The SIT found during the investigation that Vasu was aware of the fact that Unnikrishnan had gold that belonged to the temple but did nothing to retrieve it.
Earlier, the SIT questioned Vasu but released him on conditions. The records seized by the SIT from the TDB also pointed to his involvement.
Reportedly, the SIT is expected to question Padmakumar, who is a former CPM MLA from Konni. He served as president of the board from November 2017 to November 2019.
Earlier, Unnikrishnan Potty was arrested in October this year after hours of questioning.
Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
The SIT, formed after the directions of the Kerala High Court, has been probing two cases relating to the theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames at Sabarimala temple.
Several Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) members and officials have been indicted in the cases arising from the handing over of gold-clad copper plates from the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames to Potty for electroplating in 2019. Potty has been named as the main accused in the case.
In September 2025, the Kerala High Court pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for removing the gold-plated copper coverings of deities in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. While examining the records relating to the gold plating of temple items, the High Court observed several inconsistencies in the decision-making process. The court noted that the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner initially recommended the traditional method for gold coating using 303 grams of gold (costing around ₹31 lakhs), but later reversed his stance after discussions with the sponsor and recommended that the items be sent to Chennai for electroplating.
The court pointed out that this violated the TDB Sub Group Manual, which requires such works to be carried out at Sannidhanam itself. It ordered the seizure of all records relating to the gold-plating and cladding of the idols, including details of a former pair of Dwarapalaka idols reportedly kept in the strong room for possible gold extraction. Besides, the court impleaded Unnikrishnan Potty and Smart Creations (where the coverings were sent to be repaired) as additional respondents, requiring them to furnish all financial and communication records linked to the repairs and sponsorships.
