ED raids Sabarimala temple gold theft case, seizes immovable properties of main accused:This is becoming a big issue before the Kerala Assembly elections.

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids in three states as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. The raid comes at a time when the gold theft case is becoming a major issue in Kerala ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, which could pose a headache for the Vijayan government.

Raids at 21 locations in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

According to officials, raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at 21 locations in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Premises in Bengaluru are believed to be linked to the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A. Padmakumar. The premises of some jewelers were also raided.

He said some immovable properties belonging to Unnikrishnan were seized during the searches. The ED recently registered a case under the PMLA, taking cognizance of a Kerala police FIR. This matter is politically sensitive.

The case is already being investigated by the state's Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court. The probe relates to several irregularities, including official misconduct, administrative lapses and a criminal conspiracy to steal gold from various artefacts of the Lord Ayyappa temple.

ED officials said preliminary investigations revealed that the gold-plated artefacts were deliberately shown as copper plates in the records and were illegally removed from the temple premises between 2019 and 2025. The gold was allegedly extracted through chemical processes at private sites in Chennai and Karnataka.

BJP raised questions on SIT investigation

According to ANI, BJP leaders on Tuesday protested in Thiruvananthapuram over the gold theft case from Sabarimala temple and took out a protest march to the house of former Devaswom Minister K Surendran.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan claimed that the SIT did not disclose details of the former minister's questioning, while details of others' cases were made public. This shows that something is being hidden.