Former Travancore Devaswom Board officer arrested in Sabarimala gold theft case

In the Sabarimala gold theft case, former temple officer Sudheesh Kumar has been arrested for tampering official records and facilitating the gold heist

PGurus Newsdesk

November 1, 2025

SIT investigation reveals that ex-Devaswom officer Sudheesh Kumar helped prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti steal gold

Investigation reveals Sudheesh Kumar’s role in aiding the Sabarimala gold theft

In a major development in the Sabarimala gold theft investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board executive officer Sudheesh Kumar for his alleged role in facilitating the theft.

According to investigators, Sudheesh Kumar falsified official records by describing gold-plated layers on the gatekeeper sculptures at the temple as “copper layers,” despite being aware of their true composition. The SIT has concluded that his actions enabled the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, to misappropriate the gold by tampering with the mahasar (official register).

During his tenure as the Sabarimala executive officer in 2019, Sudheesh Kumar had approved Potti as a sponsor and recommended that the Travancore Devaswom Board accept him, deliberately misrepresenting the gold sheets as copper. Even after the sculptures were altered, he continued to record them as copper in official documents, investigators said.

Evidence recovered by the SIT also showed that Sudheesh had entered Potti’s name in the records despite him never receiving the materials. Officials further allege that he aided another accused, Murari Babu, in the execution of the gold theft.

Sudheesh Kumar was taken into custody on Thursday evening after detailed questioning and formally arrested. The SIT is expected to produce him before the Ranni First Class Magistrate Court on Saturday and seek his custody for further interrogation.

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