Ex-TDB chief Prasanth held in Sabarimala gold theft case

24 JULY 2026

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth and former Board member A. Ajikumar.
The arrests follow a recent ultimatum from the Kerala High Court directing the SIT to submit its final chargesheet by the end of this month.
Mr. Prasanth, a former Congress leader who later joined the CPI(M), was appointed devaswom board president following his party switch, while Mr. Ajikumar represented the CPI on the board.
According to the SIT’s report submitted to the High Court last month, Mr. Prasanth and six others were implicated in illegally transporting gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala Sreekovil’s (sanctum sanctorum) Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) sculptures to Chennai in 2025.
Investigators uncovered that this illegal transport was a cover-up intended to conceal an earlier gold theft and financial irregularities dating back to 2019.
The SIT maintains that it has gathered compelling evidence establishing the involvement of the accused in serious offences.