THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a stunning, decisive move that has sent shock waves among Sabarimala devotees across the globe, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gold theft case arrested the temple’s thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru after hours of interrogation on Friday. He was later remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and sent to the special sub-jail, Thiruvananthapuram. Despite the removal of temple articles constituting a violation of rituals and established practices, the thantri failed to intervene. The report further noted that Rajeevaru had maintained close links with the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, since 2004. While being escorted out of the hospital, the priest told the media that he had “done nothing wrong”.

Source: Indian Express January 10, 2026 01:52 UTC