The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Sabarimala gold theft case on Thursday (July 23, 2026) recorded the arrest of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth and former board member A. Ajikumar. Both are currently being interrogated at the Kollam Police Club, following which they will be produced before the Vigilance Court.

The case pertains to the unauthorised transport of the Dwarapalaka sculptures to Chennai in 2025, in which Mr. Prasanth was named as an accused. Murari Babu is listed as the primary accused in the case. The other key accused named include Unnikrishnan Potti (second accused), Pankaj Bhandari (third accused), Mr. Ajikumar (fifth accused), and Kandararu Rajeevaru (sixth accused).

The Kerala High Court had earlier noted that there was “clear evidence” pointing to Mr. Prasanth’s involvement in the conspiracy.

According to the SIT’s latest report, the evidence gathered during the probe conclusively establishes the roles of all seven accused, who acted collectively as part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy.

The report emphasises that their actions constitute serious offences, including breach of trust, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

Published - July 23, 2026 01:04 pm IST