Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized around 1,000 documents and records related to financial transactions in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case, following extensive raids at 21 locations across three states.
Around 100 officers, including personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), participated in the simultaneous search operations. Raids were conducted at Smart Creations Company in Ambattur, Chennai, the office and residence of its CEO, Pankaj Bhandari, jewellery shops in Ambattur and Vepery, the residence of gold trader Govardhan in Bellary, a jeweller’s shop in Bengaluru, and the rented house of Unnikrishnan Potty in Srirampur.
In Kerala, search operations were carried out at the Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the house of Unnikrishnan Potty in Pulimathulla, the residence of his sister Mini in Venjaramoodu, and the house of former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K.S. Baiju. Detailed searches were also conducted at the renovation department and the office of the Devaswom Commissioner within the headquarters.
The residences of former Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar in Aranmula, former Board secretary S. Jayasree in Thiruvalla Muthur, their flats in Kakkanad, Ernakulam, the house of former executive officer Murari Babu in Changanassery Perunna, and the residence of Rajendra Prasad in Angamaly Kothakulangara were among the main locations where raids were conducted.
Five officers, including two officials from a public sector bank, inspected each premises. The search operations continued for nearly 13 hours. The documents seized from all these locations will be examined by the ED at its Kochi regional office. If additional documents are required, the concerned persons will be summoned, and their statements will be recorded. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already seized certain documents related to some of the accused, and the ED will seek access to these records through the court.
#WATCH | Kottayam: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at 21 locations across the state in connection with the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.
Visuals from the residence of the former administrative officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), Murari… pic.twitter.com/NvTnBI1Frd
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The ED’s investigation is not expected to be confined to the Sabarimala gold theft alone. The entire Devaswom Board is likely to come under the agency’s investigative radar. The raid at the Devaswom Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram is seen as the first step in this wider probe. In the preliminary investigation itself, the ED found indications that, apart from the gold theft at Sabarimala, there may have been financial irregularities and fraudulent transactions. It is also suspected that rituals and offerings at the Sabarimala mandir may have been misused. This suspicion was one of the reasons why the Devaswom headquarters was brought within the scope of the raid. Officials indicated that a new case could be registered if the evidence warrants it. The ED is primarily investigating possible black money transactions linked to the gold robbery. If further illegal financial dealings are detected, they may be examined either as part of the same case or through a separate case.
During the raid conducted on Tuesday, several orders of the Devaswom Board related to Sabarimala and various official files were seized. After a detailed examination of these documents, Devaswom officials may be summoned to record their statements for further clarification. This could open the way for a broader investigation into all financial transactions connected with the Devaswom Board. At the same time, more temples in Southern India may come under the scope of the investigation following the raids on Smart Creations in Chennai. The company is known to have undertaken gold wrapping work in mandirs in Kumbakonam, Chennai, Bengaluru and Sivakasi. During the searches at Smart Creations Company in Ambattur, the office and residence of CEO Pankaj Bhandari, and jewellery establishments in Ambattur and Vepery, the ED seized several documents unrelated to the Sabarimala mandir as well. These records are now being examined to determine whether they point to a wider network of financial irregularities linked to mandir-related gold transactions.
The raids follow a crucial order of the Kollam Vigilance Court, which recently granted the Enforcement Directorate permission to launch a full-fledged money laundering probe into the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case in December. Overruling strong objections raised by the High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, the court directed that all key records, including the two main FIRs and witness statements, be handed over to the ED. Acting under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the agency informed the court that there was prima facie evidence that the proceeds of the crime had been laundered and converted into illegal assets, paving the way for the present round of searches and seizures.
