In a significant move, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni has placed Murari Babu, a suspended employee of the Travancore Devaswom Board, into four-day police custody this Tuesday. This remand is crucial for his interrogation concerning the alleged gold theft from the revered Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
Sources confirm that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) plans to interrogate Murari Babu alongside Unnikrishnan Potti, who is considered the main suspect in this complex case. The SIT requested Babu’s custody to delve deeper into a potential conspiracy and to scrutinize any financial dealings that might have occurred between him and Potti.
Immediately after the court’s directive, SIT officers transported Mr. Babu to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram. Investigators suggest that both accused individuals might be brought together in the near future for critical evidence collection.
Meanwhile, Potti’s existing custody period is set to continue until October 30.
In a related development, the SIT has formally requested additional documents from the TDB concerning the gold-plating project at Sabarimala, which was overseen by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1999. The investigation team emphasized that these renovation records are vital for their ongoing probe and issued a stern warning that no extensions would be given for their submission.
Separately, the TDB is expected to discuss a request from Sabarimala Tantri Kantararu Rajeevaru this Wednesday. The Tantri wishes to retrieve the ‘vaji vahanam’ (horse effigy) from the temple’s old flag mast, a request he had previously submitted to the Sabarimala Executive Officer as per temple traditions.