Former administrative officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Murari Babu was interrogated for hours at the Kochi unit of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case on Tuesday.
Mr. Babu who arrived in the morning was let off late in the evening. The agency is likely to interrogate more accused in the case in the coming days. The Special Investigation Team of the State police had arraigned him as the second accused in the alleged theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka sculptures. He was also the sixth accused in another case related to the theft of gold from the door frames of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
He was suspended from service and arrested on October 23, 2025. He was arrested from his residence in Perunna after the SIT discovered that he had allegedly falsely recorded the gold plates on the idol as copper plates.
The investigation further revealed that the gold plates were allegedly handed over to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti in the guise of renovation on Mr. Babu’s intervention. His role in the door frame case was also established during the probe, leading to further legal proceedings.
Mr. Babu is accused of dishonestly recommending repairs of the gold-clad copper encasements of the Dwarapalaka idols and the gold-clad copper plates on the north and south pillars while serving as administrative officer of Sabarimala in 2019.
