Unaccounted Money Found in Tantri Rajeevaru’s Accounts; SIT Opposes Bail; Decision on Feb 18
Kollam: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Tuesday opposed the bail plea of Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru before the Kollam Vigilance Court, pointing to the discovery of large amounts of unaccounted money in bank accounts linked to him and his family.
According to the SIT, financial records submitted to the court show deposits amounting to ₹2.05 crore in Rajeevaru’s name and ₹62 lakh in his wife’s name in a private financial institution. Investigators said these deposits were not reported to the Income Tax Department and raised serious concerns about their source. The team added that inquiries into similar transactions are ongoing and argued that granting bail at this stage could hamper the investigation.
The SIT told the court that Rajeevaru’s only declared income source was earnings from poojas and other religious rites. However, it alleged that substantial unaccounted funds had been deposited in a financial institution as early as 2018. The institution later entered insolvency proceedings, but Rajeevaru did not file a claim to recover the deposits. Investigators argued that this failure to claim the funds suggested he was unable to justify their origin. The SIT described the transaction pattern as suspicious and indicated that the funds could be linked to dealings involving misappropriated gold.
Public Prosecutor Siju Rajan, representing the SIT, also informed the court that Rajeevaru received ₹7.5 lakh from the Devaswom Board during the 2024–25 period. Based on this, the prosecution argued that he falls under the scope of the Prevention of Corruption Act and can be treated as a public servant for the purposes of the case.
Rajeevaru is listed as the 16th accused in the case concerning the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the 13th accused in a related case involving the alleged disappearance of gold from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames.
The court has completed hearing arguments on Rajeevaru’s bail pleas in both cases and is scheduled to deliver its order on February 18. The defence has contested the prosecution’s claims.
Meanwhile, the court also heard arguments on the bail plea of another accused, N. Vasu, on Tuesday. He is expected to be granted statutory bail on Wednesday. Several other accused in the case — including Unnikrishnan Potty, Murari Babu, Sudheesh Kumar, and S. Sreekumar — have already been granted bail.