Sabarimala Gold Scam: SIT Arrested Murari Babu and Taken into Custody
Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the Sabarimala gold theft case has arrested B. Murari Babu, a former administrative officer at the Sabarimala temple. He was taken into custody from his home in Perunna on Wednesday night and brought to Thiruvananthapuram for questioning.
After interrogation, he was officially arrested and produced before the Ranni Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, which sent him to 14 days of judicial custody. Interestingly, the SIT did not seek his police custody.
According to the investigation report, Murari intentionally recorded gold-plated sheets as copper sheets in official temple documents. This misreporting is believed to have helped cover up the gold theft.
Sources said Murari had also recommended Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused, to carry out gold plating on the copper sheets used on the temple’s dwarapalaka (guardian) idols and sanctum walls.
The SIT has reportedly gathered strong evidence against Murari and several other Travancore Devaswom Board officials. The investigation found that Murari and another officer, D. Sudheesh Kumar, had roles in the manipulation of records.
Both officers described gold-plated sheets as copper in their reports, suggesting that the move was planned and deliberate. The Devaswom vigilance officer had earlier raised concerns about their actions and recommended disciplinary steps.