The Enforcement Directorate (ED) turned up the heat on the Sabarimala gold "loss" investigation this Tuesday, questioning Murari Babu, the former administrative officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Officials confirmed that Babu is currently having his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the agency's office.
Babu is no stranger to this investigation; he was previously picked up by a Kerala Special Investigation Team (SIT) and only recently secured bail from the court. The ED’s involvement, however, adds a new layer of federal scrutiny. The agency officially waded into the mess on January 9, after filing a money laundering case based on several Kerala Police FIRs and carrying out a series of raids across the state last month.
This case has become a major political lightning rod in Kerala. It centers on allegations of a deep-rooted criminal conspiracy involving official misconduct and administrative lapses that supposedly led to the misappropriation of gold from sacred artefacts at the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
While a state-level SIT is already digging into the matter under the watchful eye of the Kerala High Court, the ED is focused on tracking where the money — and the gold — actually went. With a former high-ranking board official now in the hot seat, the investigation appears to be moving toward the higher-ups in the temple administration.
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