Sabarimala Gold Heist: Tantri Kandararu Rajeevar Arrested; ED Launches Money Laundering Probe

Thiruvananthapuram: In a dramatic turn of events in the sensational Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday arrested Sabarimala Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajeevar. The arrest was recorded after hours of interrogation at an undisclosed location in the state capital.

The SIT’s move comes on the heels of incriminating statements provided by the third accused, former Travancore Devaswom Board President and CPM leader A. Padmakumar and the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty.

According to high-level sources, the investigative team had strategically concealed Tantri’s suspected involvement during Padmakumar’s recent bail hearing. This was a calculated move to prevent the priest from moving the court for anticipatory bail.

The Conspiracy

Investigators allege that Kandararu Rajeevar played a pivotal role in the hierarchy of the conspiracy. It was reportedly the Tantri who introduced Unnikrishnan Potty as his assistant at the hill shrine. This access enabled Potty to establish high-level connections and execute the heist, which involved reclassifying gold plates as copper plates in the temple records before smuggling them out.

The SIT has reportedly gathered evidence suggesting that the Tantri was aware of the misappropriation. Prior to Friday's arrest, the team had taken Unnikrishnan Potty back into custody for detailed questioning, which provided vital leads confirming the priest's complicity.

Technically, as the Tantri draws a salary from the Devaswom Board, he falls within the ambit of the Prevention of Corruption Act. While Rajeevar maintained during interrogation that he had not authorized the removal of any items from the temple, investigators have flagged three specific "sponsorship permissions" granted by him as suspicious.

State Police Chief Rawada Chandrasekhar told the media that the investigation is proceeding objectively under the direct supervision of the Kerala High Court and that the state police hierarchy would not interfere with the SIT's mandate.

ED Registers Case

Compounding the legal troubles for the accused, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has formally entered the picture. The central agency has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR)—equivalent to a police FIR—under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

With the registration of the PMLA case, the ED is now empowered to attach the properties of the accused. The initial phase of the central probe will focus on the complex financial trail involving prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty, Pankaj Bhandari (owner of Chennai-based Smart Creations), and Goverdhan, a jewellery owner from Bellary. The investigation is being supervised by ED Kochi, Additional Director Rakesh Kumar.

Legal Tussle For Data

The ED's entry follows a brief legal standoff between the central agency and the state police. The state government had initially opposed sharing the FIR and case diary, arguing in the High Court that the SIT probe was sufficient and no FEMA violations were found. However, following the High Court's direction to approach the trial court, the Kollam Vigilance Court ordered the transfer of documents to the ED.

The ED is expected to move the court to seek custody of all accused currently arrested by the SIT to investigate potential money laundering and international links to the temple gold theft.