The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is looking into the Sabarimala gold‑plating theft has added a new name to the list of arrested suspects. On Thursday night, police detained K.S. Byju, a former employee of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). His arrest marks the fourth person taken into custody in the case after the temple’s gold plates went missing in 2019.
Byju was the custodian of the gold that the temple sent to a private company, Smart Creations in Chennai, for re‑plating. Investigators discovered he was on leave the day the plates were removed from the temple, raising questions about how the temple’s assets were overseen. The SIT is now scrutinising whether his absence and actions contributed to the alleged theft.
The latest arrest comes right after the Kerala High Court reviewed the SIT’s second‑stage report and urged a deeper probe. The court asked investigators to pin down clear accountability and determine if any official negligence played a role in the disappearance of the gold.
Next, the SIT plans to take the case to the Ranni Magistrate Court. Police will seek custody of two accused who are currently in judicial remand so they can question Byju together with two other arrested TDB staff members: former employee Sudheesh Kumar and serving employee Murari Babu. The hope is that hearing them together will reveal the exact sequence of events that led to the gold’s disappearance.
Current allegations say that actual gold sheets donated to cover parts of the sanctum were swapped with pieces of the original gold that were siphoned off during transit or re‑plating. Byju’s role as custodian and his unexplained absence are key points that investigators want to test as possible willful negligence or complicity.
The case has sparked widespread public concern. Leaders from both the Congress and BJP have demanded a central agency take over the investigation. Meanwhile, the judicial system remains closely monitoring the progress, aiming to uncover who is responsible for the Sabarimala gold‑plating theft.
Source: ianslive
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