Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a multi-state search operation codenamed ‘Operation Golden Shadow’ on Tuesday as part of its investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft case. More than 100 officers from the central agency’s Kochi, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, and Chennai units conducted simultaneous raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
ED teams searched the homes and offices of former chairmen, senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple, and contractors suspected of involvement in the gold theft.
The central agency’s investigation has now reached the highest levels of the Devaswom management. The house of former Devaswom Commissioner and Chairman N. Vasu in Petta, Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, was raided. Separately, an ED team of five officers, who arrived in a vehicle registered in Delhi, searched the house of former TDB Chairman A. Padmakumar in Aranmula, Pathanamthitta.
The search at Padmakumar’s house began at 6 am after obtaining permission from the Kollam Vigilance Court and continued for several hours. Officials examined files and decisions made during his tenure. This move is considered a major shift in the direction of the investigation; earlier criticisms regarding the state police’s reluctance to question Padmakumar had led to allegations of political protection. The ED’s intervention signals an investigation that will not grant such leniency.
Dramatic scenes at the main accused’s house
High drama unfolded at the Thiruvananthapuram residence of the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, during the ED raid. Finding the house locked, officials learned from neighbors that Potty’s mother had moved to a relative’s house in Vengaramoodu a few days earlier. The team had to summon her to unlock the house.
The ED is also wary of potential tampering with evidence. The SIT had earlier found that Unnikrishnan Potty had taken documents and crucial evidence to his sister’s house in Vengaramoodu – often without her knowledge – making that location a potential target for further searches.
Official Collusion and Falsified Records
The ED’s investigation also focused on the administrative machinery. Searches were conducted at the Angamaly house of former Executive Officer Rajendraprasad, who was under CRPF protection, and the Kakkanad flat of former Board Secretary Jayashree.
Jayashree, who served as Secretary from 2017 to 2019 and later as the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, is already an accused in the gold theft case. The SIT had earlier unearthed evidence suggesting that she had provided gold plates to Potty. The ED’s preliminary investigation has revealed serious irregularities between 2019 and 2025, including the fraudulent recording of gold-plated plates as “copper plates” in government registers to facilitate their removal from the temple premises.
‘Operation Golden Shadow’ extended beyond Kerala to investigate money laundering and the disposal of stolen goods. Raids were conducted at the offices of Pankaj Bhandari (Smart Creations) in Chennai and Bengaluru, and at the house and shop of bullion trader Govardhan (Roddam Jewellery) in Ballari, Karnataka. Investigating agencies suspect a nexus between Potty, Bhandari, and Govardhan in melting the stolen gold from the temple and introducing it into the market.
The ED is also investigating links to international smuggling syndicates in this case, with names like the notorious Subhash Kapoor surfacing, suggesting potential international ramifications.
Likelihood of Property Attachment
Investigating officers believe that the stolen gold is antique. Therefore, its actual market value is significantly higher. The High Court had recently expressed apprehension that entire gold plates might have been replaced. The ED is currently gathering digital evidence, bank records, and property documents to determine if the accused acquired additional assets using the proceeds of crime. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the onus is on the accused to prove that their assets were not acquired through illegal means.
Sources say the agency is preparing to attach the properties of the accused and will soon summon the former TDB chairman to its Kochi office for detailed questioning.
