Who is Murari Babu? The Key Figure in the Sabarimala Gold Misappropriation Case

Arrest of Former Sabarimala Official

Thiruvananthapuram: Murari Babu, the former Administrative Officer of Sabarimala, was apprehended by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) late Wednesday night in connection with a gold misappropriation scandal. Officials confirmed his arrest after several hours of interrogation on Thursday.

The SIT documented his arrest and plans to present him before the Ranni Court in Pathanamthitta, either in person or via video link.

Babu was taken into custody at his home in Kottayam district around 10 PM on Wednesday.

In response to the arrest, Ajay Tharayil, a Congress leader and former member of the Travancore Devasom Board, expressed skepticism, stating that the arrest of a single official holds little significance.

Tharayil urged the SIT to expedite their investigation, emphasizing that merely arresting Babu or Unnikrishnan Potti, another accused, is insufficient. He called for the probe to extend to higher officials, as many are eager to see the investigation's depth.

Babu was in charge at the Sabarimala temple during the alleged scam in 2019 and has since been suspended by the Travancore Devasom Board.

Following his detention, he was taken to the SIT's office in the state capital. He faces charges related to the theft and illegal transportation of gold-plated items from the temple.

The SIT has filed two FIRs, naming ten individuals as suspects, including the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, who has also been arrested.

Babu is implicated in both FIRs and is believed to be a crucial figure in the conspiracy that unfolded from 2019 to 2024.

During his tenure as Administrative Officer in 2019, the alleged practice of replacing gold plating on temple artifacts with copper plating reportedly began.

He is also accused of overseeing the forgery of records.

Despite the allegations, Babu has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the reference to copper plating in the official records stemmed from a directive by the Tantri (chief priest).

He maintains that he only provided a preliminary report, with final decisions made by higher authorities.

Meanwhile, the SIT continues to gather witness statements and is questioning security and temple personnel who were present when the gold items were taken from Sabarimala.

The local court has granted the SIT custody of the first accused, Potti, until October 30.

As the investigation progresses, SIT officials are expected to travel to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai to gather further evidence.