The Chevayur Police arrested Congress leader N Subrahmanian on Saturday in a move that has sparked a fresh political row over the Sabarimala gold theft investigation. Subrahmanian stands accused of circulating what the police claim are AI-generated images showing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alongside Unnikrishnan Potty, one of the key accused in the gold loss case. While the police took him into custody after a morning raid at his residence, he was later released on bail, but not before the arrest triggered a wave of condemnation from the Congress leadership.
Subrahmanian has remained defiant, insisting the images are authentic and not the product of artificial intelligence. Speaking to the media, he questioned why he was singled out for a suo motu case while high-profile figures like BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar—who he claims shared the same image in late November—faced no such action. He alleged that the arrest was a deliberate attempt by the government to silence him and suggested a hidden "nexus" between the CPM and the BJP. His social media post from December 25, which carried the caption "For those who think these images are AI-generated," appears to be the central piece of evidence in the department’s investigation.
The arrest drew a sharp response from AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, who spoke out from Delhi to criticise the "dramatic" nature of the police action. Venugopal likened the state police's tactics to those of the central government, questioning why the force was moving so aggressively against a political leader while a key person of interest in the gold case, D Mani, remains at large. He accused the state administration of using the police as a political tool rather than focusing on the actual recovery of the missing gold.
As the political dust settles over the arrest, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is pushing its probe into Tamil Nadu to track down the aforementioned businessman, D Mani. His name entered the spotlight after Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala passed on a tip to investigators. Although a man named D Mani was questioned on Friday and denied any involvement — claiming his identity was being misused — the SIT is continuing to verify his connections as they try to piece together the final destination of the stolen ornaments.
Also read: Kerala BJP seeks CBI probe in Sabarimala gold scam case
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