Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT arrests former TDB president PS Prasanth

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case on Thursday (July 23, 2026) recorded the arrest of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president PS Prasanth and former board member A Ajikumar. Both are currently being questioned at the Kollam Police Club, after which they will be produced before a vigilance court.

The case relates to the unauthorized transportation of the Dwarapalaka statues to Chennai in 2025, in which Mr. Prasanth has been named as an accused. Murari Babu is listed as the main accused in the case. Other key accused include Unnikrishnan Potti (second accused), Pankaj Bhandari (third accused), Mr Ajikumar (fifth accused) and Kandararu Rajeevaru (sixth accused).

The Kerala High Court had earlier observed that there was “clear evidence” pointing to Mr. Prasanth’s involvement in the conspiracy.

According to the latest SIT report, the evidence collected during the investigation conclusively establishes the roles of all the seven accused who acted together as part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy.

The report highlights that their actions constitute serious criminal offences, including breach of trust, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

Published – 23 Jul 2026 13:04 IST