Former TDB President N. Vasu Arrested in Sabarimala Missing Gold Case
Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing gold from the Sabarimala temple has arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N. Vasu, sources said on Tuesday.
Vasu, who had earlier served twice as Commissioner of the TDB before becoming its president in November 2019, was taken into custody after being questioned by the investigators. The arrest is considered one of the most high-profile developments in the case, as Vasu is known to have close ties with senior leaders of the state government.
The Kerala High Court is currently monitoring the SIT investigation into the disappearance of gold from the door frames of the sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the Sabarimala hill shrine.
Following his arrest, Vasu was produced before a court in Pathanamthitta, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. He was later taken to the Kottarakkara Sub Jail. When asked by reporters for a comment, Vasu said he had “nothing to say.”
The SIT has earlier arrested Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case, along with two senior officers and a retired official. Potty faces charges in two related cases involving the theft of gold from both the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the gold-plated door frames of the sanctum.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress alleged that Vasu’s arrest proves the involvement of the ruling CPI(M) leadership in the Sabarimala gold theft case.