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ED seizes Rs 1.3 crore assets, gold bar in Sabarimala Temple theft case

January 22, 2026

ED seizes Rs 1.3 crore assets, gold bar in Sabarimala Temple theft case The ED searched 21 locations across three states in the Sabarimala Temple probe, seizing a 100-gram gold bar and freezing Rs 1.3 crore in assets linked to alleged gold misappropriation. AdvertisementDuring the searches, officials recovered a large volume of incriminating documents and digital evidence. Munish Chandra PandeyNew Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 22, 2026 07:30 ISTEdited By: Sahil SinhaThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of gold and valuables from Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, conducting coordinated searches at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on January 20, officials said. The searches, carried out by the Kochi Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, stemmed from two FIRs registered by the Kerala Police Crime Branch. These FIRs flagged what the ED describes as a "well-orchestrated criminal conspiracy" involving senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), former temple administrators, private sponsors and jewellers. advertisementAccording to the central agency's preliminary findings, sacred gold-clad artefacts of the temple, including parts of the Dwarapalaka idols, peedams (pedestals) and panels of the sanctum sanctorum's door frame, were allegedly misrepresented in official records as "copper plates".

Sabarimala Temple

Credit: Indiatoday

Key Highlights

On the basis of these entries, the artefacts were unauthorisedly removed from the temple between 2019 and 2025 and transported to private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, including Smart Creations and Roddam Jewellers.
The ED alleged that under the pretext of repair and replating work, gold was chemically extracted from these artefacts.
The extracted gold and related assets were then allegedly retained, transferred and concealed by the accused, qualifying as Proceeds of Crime under the PMLA. Officials have also flagged possible financial irregularities linked to temple offerings and rituals.
These included suspected diversion of proceeds, quality-related losses, unexplained asset accumulation and suspicious transactions involving certain officials, all of which are now part of the money laundering probe. During the searches, officials recovered a large volume of incriminating documents and digital evidence.
These included mahazars and TDB records that allegedly described gold-clad artefacts as copper, enabling their removal and extraction.

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ED seizes Rs 1.3 crore assets, gold bar in Sabarimala Temple theft case

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ED seizes Rs 1.3 crore assets, gold bar in Sabarimala Temple theft case

Key Highlights

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