Ex-TDB member Vijayakumar arrested in Sabarimala gold loss case

Thiruvananthapuram: Former TDB member N Vijayakumar was arrested on Monday in connection with the Sabarimala gold loss case, police said.

Police sources said Vijayakumar was a member of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) during the tenure of former president A Padmakumar, who has already been arrested in the case related to the loss of gold from the doorframes of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).

During the tenure of the board, approval was given to hand over gold plates to the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, for electroplating in 2019.

Vijayakumar was summoned to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was questioned.

After the interrogation, his arrest was recorded, sources said.

He will be produced before the Kollam Vigilance court later.

With his arrest, Vijayakumar became the 10th accused to be arrested by the SIT as part of the probe into the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil doorframes at Sabarimala temple.

Earlier, the Kerala High Court, while considering a petition related to the Sabarimala gold loss case, had criticised the SIT for not probing the role of former TDB members K P Shankardas and Vijayakumar.

The SIT was constituted on the directions of the High Court, which earlier this month granted the team an additional six months to complete the investigation.