Temporary Worker Arrested for Stealing Offerings at Sabarimala Temple
Pathanamthitta: A temporary employee has been arrested for stealing money from the Devaswom treasury while counting offerings at the Sabarimala temple complex. The Devaswom Vigilance team apprehended the accused, identified as K. R. Ratheesh (native of Vemballur, Thrissur), for allegedly stealing ₹23,130 during duty hours. The Sannidhanam Police have registered a case in connection with the incident.
The arrest was made on Monday following a vigilance inspection. During a routine check when the accused went to the toilet while on duty, officials recovered ₹3,000 from him. Further investigation revealed that six ₹500 notes had been concealed inside a cloth glove provided to workers for handling offerings during segregation.
Subsequently, the Devaswom Vigilance conducted a search at the place where the accused was staying and recovered an additional ₹20,130. Police suspect that the notes were rolled up and smuggled out by concealing them on his body.
More than 300 employees are deployed across two treasuries near the Sannidhanam for counting offerings, of whom around 200 are temporary workers. The treasury operates under strict security, including 24-hour CCTV surveillance, police protection, and regular vigilance checks. Workers are allowed entry only wearing a single dhoti. Despite these stringent measures, the money was allegedly smuggled out with considerable sophistication.
Meanwhile, the Devaswom Vigilance also recovered ₹64,354 from a storage area near the Malikappuram Melshanthi Mutt. The money—consisting of coins and currency notes—was found abandoned among sacks of rice during an inspection conducted on Saturday. The area is used to store rice offered as part of temple rituals. Vigilance officials believe that someone may have collected offerings and hidden the amount among the rice sacks.
Investigations are ongoing in both cases.