Sabarimala gold row | Bellari jeweller and Chennai-based firm's CEO held

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief executive officer of Chennai-based Smart Creations Pankaj Bhandari and Govardhan who runs Roddam Jewels at Bellari were arrested on Friday in connection with the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple gold heist.

The move came close on the heels of the Kerala High Court expressing displeasure over the progress of the probe and stated that 'big guns' involved in it should not be spared.

Bhandari and Gowardhan were summoned by the investigation team for quizzing and were subsequently arrested. The two had earlier denied any involvement in the scam. The SIT had earlier seized around 800 gram gold from the premises of Gowardhan.

It is suspected that gold was extracted from the metal coverings of the 'Dwarapalaka' idols and door frames of the temple at Smart Creations and handed over to Gowardhan. There is also suspicion of the links of an international antique smuggling racket in the scam.

Bengaluru-based Malayali Unnikrishnan Potti, former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board A Padmakumar and N Vasu and four former employees of the board were earlier held in connection with the gold heist.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front stepped up attacks against the ruling CPM in view of the HC observations over the progress of investigation.

The opposition had been alleging that former Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran and members of the Travancore Devaswom Board were also involved in the scam.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the court's displeasure over the investigation vindicated the opposition party's allegation that the special investigation was going slow with the probe during the local body polls.