Overview
- The SIT recorded the arrest of Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru after questioning, and its remand report charges him with criminal conspiracy, dishonest misappropriation, illicit enrichment and abuse of power under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
- Investigators allege he gave “silent approval” by failing to stop or report the removal of Dwarapalaka and Sreekovil plates for work outside the shrine, in breach of ritual and procedural norms.
- The ED’s Kochi unit has registered an ECIR under the PMLA by consolidating SIT charge sheets to follow suspected money trails, with powers to summon the accused and attach assets.
- The probe outlines an alleged network involving prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty, Smart Creations owner Pankaj Bhandari and jeweller Govardhan, including claims of chemical gold extraction and reduced weight in panels returned to the temple.
- Rajeevaru is among more than ten arrests in the court-monitored investigation, with production before the Vigilance Court and further custody sought as opposition figures question the probe and the missing gold remains untraced.