ED raids multiple locations in Sabarimala gold loot case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out massive raids as part of its investigation into the possible money laundering transaction in the Sabarimala gold robbery case. The ED has launched raids at the residences and establishments of all the accused in the Sabarimala gold loot case.

Searches were conducted at 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to investigate possible money laundering linked to the alleged gold smuggling case. The raids were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and covered premises linked to the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, in Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, former Travancore Devaswam Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar, and N Vasu.

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When the ED officials arrived at Unnikrishnan Potty’s residence in Pulimath, they found it locked, as the family had recently moved to a relative’s place. The officials brought Potty’s mother to the place and conducted the search. Vasu’s residence at Pettah was also raided. The ED officials raided Padmakumar’s house in Aranmula and suspended TDB official Murari Babu’s house in Kottayam. In addition, ED officials also inspected the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters here. The ED also conducted raids at the houses of former Travancore Devaswam Board (TDB) members KP Shankaradas and N Vijayakumar.

The ED team has also launched raids at Smart Creations in Chennai and the house of gold merchant Govardhan in Bellary. The ED also conducted raids at Govardhan’s jewellery store in Bengaluru and Unnikrishnan Potti’s house in Srirampura, Bengaluru.

The ED registered the PMLA case on January 9 after taking cognisance of multiple FIRs filed by the Kerala Police. The matter is also being probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.

Preliminary findings suggest that gold-clad artefacts were deliberately recorded as “copper plates” in official documents and illegally removed from the temple premises between 2019 and 2025.

The gold was allegedly extracted using chemical processes at private facilities in Chennai and parts of Karnataka, generating proceeds of crime that were subsequently concealed and transferred.

The ED officials said the searches are aimed at tracing illicit funds, identifying beneficiaries, seizing incriminating documents and digital evidence, and determining the full scale of the alleged money laundering.

The Kerala High Court on Monday made strong observations in the Sabarimala gold loot case. The court observed that a systematic and methodical process was involved in the misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and door frames of the Sabarimala temple. The court observed that the chemical analysis of samples from the temple prima facie reinforced doubts that the original gold cladding on the Dwarapalakas and door frames of the temple had been replaced.