The Special Investigation Team investigating the sensational Sabarimala gold theft case arrested senior CPM leader and former Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar on Thursday, plunging the ruling Left Democratic Front into a major political crisis just weeks before the crucial local body elections across Kerala.

Padmakumar, a former MLA from Konni and a prominent Pathanamthitta district committee member, was taken into custody after marathon questioning at an undisclosed location in Thiruvananthapuram. The arrest came after multiple co-accused explicitly named him as the authority who gave final approval in 2019 for removing gold-plated copper sheets from the sreekovil door frame and dwarapalaka idols under the guise of routine maintenance work to be carried out in Chennai.

Investigators revealed that earlier arrested individuals, including former TDB president N Vasu and prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti, provided statements confirming Padmakumar personally directed officials to falsify temple records by registering priceless gold-plated artefacts as ordinary copper, enabling their transportation outside the heavily guarded shrine premises. The SIT has already arrested six people, including former Sabarimala administrative officer Murari Babu, executive officer Sudheesh Kumar, and former Thiruvabharana Commissioner K S Biju.

Also Read: Kerala SIT Removes Gold-Plated Idols from Sabarimala for Forensic Audit in Temple Theft Probe

After denying all charges and attributing any irregularities to subordinate staff, Padmakumar was produced before the Kollam Vigilance Court in the evening, which remanded him to 14 days judicial custody. The SIT now plans to conduct joint interrogation of Padmakumar and Vasu to unravel the complete chain of command and financial trail in what has emerged as one of the biggest scandals involving Kerala’s most revered temple.

With opposition parties UDF and BJP intensifying their attack on the CPM for allegedly protecting those who desecrated Sabarimala, one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines, Padmakumar’s dramatic arrest has sent shockwaves through the state’s political establishment and is certain to dominate the upcoming local body election campaign, threatening serious electoral damage to the ruling front.

Also Read: SIT Begins Scientific Tests at Sabarimala to Investigate 2019 Gold Theft