Gold Mystery at Sabarimala: Former Official Taken into Custody

The Special Investigation Team has detained B Murari Babu, a former official suspended due to a gold theft controversy at Sabarimala temple. Babu is linked to cases involving missing gold from temple idols. His alleged role in facilitating fraudulent electroplating proposals adds to the ongoing investigation.

Authorities have taken B Murari Babu, a former administrative officer, into custody amid ongoing investigations into a gold theft case at the Sabarimala temple, sources confirmed on Thursday.

Suspended by the Travancore Devaswom Board following allegations of missing gold, Babu was apprehended from his residence in Changanassery on Wednesday night. He has since been moved to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for further questioning, according to officials.

Babu is implicated in two cases concerning the disappearance of gold from parts of the temple, including the Dwarapalaka idols. Investigations reveal his involvement in forwarding fraudulent proposals regarding the temple's gilding, raising suspicions of administrative lapses among board officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)