ED raids rock Devaswom Board in Sabarimala gold heist case, CPI(M) on the defensive

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate’s late-night raids across three states have marked a significant escalation in the Sabarimala gold heist probe, with the central agency for the first time entering the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters and seizing key records.

The coordinated operation, conducted at 21 locations linked to 22 individuals — including 13 accused currently in judicial custody — has sent shockwaves through Kerala’s political and administrative circles.

What has particularly rattled the ruling CPI(M) is the ED’s unprecedented move to search the Devaswom Board headquarters at Nanthancode in Thiruvananthapuram. Officials spent several hours scrutinising files, signalling that the investigation has moved beyond individual culpability to questions of institutional accountability.

Sources said the agency has taken possession of several crucial documents and is closely examining them, with bank account freezes and fresh arrests likely in the coming days.

The raids were launched soon after the closure of the Sabarimala temple following the Makara Vilakku festival, in an operation reportedly codenamed “Operation Golden Shadow.” The timing and scale of the action underline the seriousness with which the ED is pursuing allegations that the Devaswom Board became a conduit for large-scale financial irregularities involving gold and cash running into crores of rupees.

Apart from records directly linked to the alleged gold theft at the Sannidhanam, the ED also collected files related to major construction projects and sponsorship arrangements undertaken by the Board over the past few years. Officials believe these could provide critical leads into possible money laundering and diversion of funds.

Simultaneous searches were carried out at the residences of former Devaswom Board presidents A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu, both CPI(M) nominees, pushing the party firmly onto the defensive. The raid at Padmakumar’s residence in Aranmula — where he also serves as a CPI(M) Pathanamthitta district committee member — reportedly lasted nearly ten hours.

Former Board members K.P. Sankaradas and N. Vijayakumar were also searched. All those named are currently in judicial custody.

Raids at premises linked to Chennai-based Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and Karnataka-based gold trader Govardhan have strengthened the ED’s suspicion of interstate gold smuggling and money-laundering links.

The agency is now probing whether political patronage extended beyond officials in the alleged Sabarimala gold heist. With ED teams camping at the Devaswom Board, the stage appears set for one of the largest financial investigations in its history — raising anxiety within CPI(M) circles that long-suspected irregularities within the Board may finally come under the scanner.

–IANS

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