In a press release issued on Wednesday, the ED said that in addition to freezing assets, the agency seized a 100-gram gold bar from the premises of Smart Creations in Chennai, one of the facilities allegedly used for the extraction process.
File Photo: IANS
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen eight immovable properties worth approximately ₹1.3 crore belonging to the accused in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case. The ED’s multi-state raids, codenamed Operation Golden Shadow, have uncovered a deep-rooted conspiracy and significant evidence of money laundering.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the ED said that in addition to freezing assets, the agency seized a 100-gram gold bar from the premises of Smart Creations in Chennai, one of the facilities allegedly used for the extraction process. A large volume of incriminating documents, falsified “mahazars” (official inspection reports), and digital evidence was recovered during raids conducted across 21 locations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka on Tuesday.
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The ED is also examining other potential financial irregularities and scams within the Sabarimala temple administration, including issues related to temple offerings, rituals, and the unexplained accumulation of assets by certain officials.
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The agency has taken custody of orders issued between 2019 and 2024 from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters and has also obtained documents indicating suspicious financial transactions involving Devaswom Board officials. The ED stated in its press release that the investigation is progressing.
According to the ED, preliminary investigations have revealed that sacred gold-plated objects of the temple, including the Dwarapalaka idol and the door frame panels of the shrine, were deliberately misrepresented in official records as mere “copper plates” and were illegally removed from the temple premises between 2019 and 2025.
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