Overview
- Vijayakumar was questioned at the SIT office in Thiruvananthapuram and then arrested in the case of missing gold from Sabarimala’s sanctum doorframes and guardian idols.
- Investigators say he was aware that gold plates were given to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti for electroplating during the board’s 2019 approvals.
- The arrest follows the High Court’s earlier criticism over gaps in probing former board members and its grant of six more months for the SIT to complete the investigation.
- On December 30, the High Court noted allegations that the probe is lagging, deferred key bail pleas to January 6, and observed that bail cannot be granted while principal perpetrators remain unaccounted for.
- The SIT is tracking transactional leads, including a recent raid linked to D. Mani and a businessman’s claim suggesting diverted deals and possible overseas movement of artefacts, as prior arrests span A. Padmakumar, K. S. Baiju, Pankaj Bhandari, Govardhan, and Potti.