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Sabarimala ‘missing gold’: Former temple board chief latest to be arrested

N Vasu had been appointed to the board as a nominee of Kerala’s ruling CPI(M).

2 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Nov 12, 2025 08:13 AM IST

Sabarimala ‘missing gold’: Former temple board chief latest to be arrested

Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, being brought to the Crime Branch office, in Thiruvananthapuram. (ANI Video Grab)

The SIT, which is probing the alleged theft of gold from Sabarimala Temple, arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu on Tuesday. It was during the tenure of Vasu as TDB commissioner that the alleged theft had occurred.

Vasu was appointed to the board as a nominee of the CPI (M) – a fact likely to give fresh ammo to the Opposition trying to corner Kerala’s ruling party over the issue. CPI (M), for its part, has been blaming TDB officials for the scandal.

Vasu had served as the commissioner of TDB from 2012 to 2019, which manages the Sabarimala Temple, before he became the president of the government entity in 2019.

Formed by the Kerala High Court, the SIT has so far arrested three senior employees of the TDB in connection with the disappearance of gold from temple artefacts.

Vasu was the commissioner in 2019 when the gold-covered copper plates of Dwarapalaka idols and door frames of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum were handed over to self-styled sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, marking the objects as mere copper items. The court had found that the TDB, during the regime of Vasu, remained silent on the issue despite the disappearance of the gold coming to its notice.

Vasu’s arrest came about after detailed interrogation of three senior executives of the TDB, and Potty, who are in judicial custody.

Last month, the HC had found that a substantial amount of gold was missing from the copper plates when Potty brought them back after a fresh round of gold-plating in Chennai.

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In the past, Vasu had served as private secretary to CPI (M) veteran P K Gurudasan when he was the excise minister from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Vasu had served as the president of Kulakkada village panchayat in Kollam.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

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