Thiruvananthapuram, 23 July (H.S.): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Sabarimala gold theft case on Thursday arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth after taking him into custody from his residence in Thiruvananthapuram earlier in the day.

Prasanth was questioned by investigators before his arrest was formally recorded. He is expected to be produced before the Vigilance Court in Kollam later in the day.

Although Prasanth had not previously been named as an accused in the case, the SIT had informed the court that it intended to arraign him as part of the ongoing investigation. Investigators have been examining the circumstances surrounding the re-gilding of the Sabarimala temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels in 2025.

According to the SIT, the gold-plated panels were removed from the Sannidhanam and transported to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm, where they were re-gilded before being reinstalled at the temple. The agency alleges that the exercise was not a routine restoration but was carried out to conceal evidence linked to the alleged gold theft that is believed to have taken place in 2019.

The investigation has identified the alleged involvement of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and the owner of Smart Creations in what the SIT describes as a criminal conspiracy. Investigators suspect that the decision to undertake the re-gilding in 2025 formed part of an effort to cover up the earlier offence.

The SIT has also informed the court that, as the Travancore Devaswom Board president at the time, Prasanth, along with other board members, bore responsibility for approving and overseeing the re-gilding of the temple panels.

The arrest came shortly after Prasanth posted a message on Facebook claiming that he anticipated being arrested in connection with the case.

The SIT is also expected to take former Travancore Devaswom Board member Ajikumar into custody as part of the continuing investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman