The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches in three states in connection with the Sabarimala gold loss case in Kerala. At least 21 locations were raided across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. These were being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The raided premises were linked to the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, in Bengaluru and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar in Kerala, apart from jewellers.
The ED filed a PMLA case on January 9, taking cognisance of many Kerala police FIRs. The politically sensitive case is already being probed by a state Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.
SIT is investigating a series of irregularities, including official misconduct, administrative lapses and a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate the gold from various artefacts of the Lord Ayyappa shrine. The charges also include the loss of gold from the gold-clad copper plates of the 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the 'Sreekovil' (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the gold-clad sacred artefacts were deliberately misrepresented as "copper plates" in official records and unlawfully removed from the temple premises between 2019 and 2025. The gold was allegedly extracted through chemical processes at private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, generating proceeds of crime which were retained, transferred and concealed. The probe also indicated financial irregularities and scams at Sabarimala.
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