Kochi (Kerala)

A Chennai-based jewellery shop worker, Kalpesh, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Kochi for interrogation on Tuesday.

He is allegedly a key middleman involved in the illegal transfer of gold extracted from the temple's sacred door frames and idols. He transferred the gold from the Chennai firm Smart Creations to a jewellery shop in Ballari, Karnataka, at the request of the shop owner, Govardhan.

Earlier last week, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged loss of gold from artefacts at the Sabarimala temple reached the hill shrine to collect fresh samples as part of ongoing scientific analysis.

The team, led by Superintendent of Police (SP) S Sasidharan, arrived at Pampa, the base camp, in the morning and proceeded to Sannidhanam by afternoon. The move follows the Kerala High Court's approval on Monday to collect new samples for examination.

Meanwhile, former Devaswom Board President N Vasu was released from the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub-Jail on statutory bail in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case. Vasu had spent 90 days in custody, with the bail granted as the charge sheet had not yet been filed.

Vasu is the fifth accused to be released in the case. He is the third accused in the Dwarapalaka gold theft case and the fifth in the Sreekovil threshold gold theft case.

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The Sabarimala gold theft case concerns allegations of the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.

The controversy traces its origins to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who donated 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used.