Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Oct 23 – The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the missing gold from the Sabarimala temple has arrested former administrative officer B Murari Babu, as confirmed by sources on Thursday.

Babu, who faced suspension from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) amid the gold disappearance controversy, was apprehended at his residence in Changanassery on Wednesday night. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for interrogation, according to officials.

Relatives of Babu arrived at the Crime Branch office on Thursday morning. At approximately 10 am, the SIT officially recorded Babu’s arrest and communicated the procedural details to his relatives, who were subsequently permitted to meet him.

The SIT plans to present Babu before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Pathanamthitta later in the evening. Officials indicated that the SIT is expected to file a petition seeking custody of Babu for further interrogation.

Babu is implicated in two cases concerning the disappearance of gold from the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) within the temple. In 2019, when the primary accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, suggested electroplating the Dwarapalaka idols to the TDB, Babu endorsed the proposal, asserting that the gold-cladded plates were composed of copper. He allegedly supported a similar proposal from Potty again in 2025.

At the time of his suspension, Babu was serving as the Deputy Devaswom Commissioner in Haripad. A preliminary inquiry conducted by the TDB Vigilance raised suspicions regarding the involvement of certain board officials in the removal of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames. The Vigilance report also highlighted significant lapses by Babu and seven other TDB officials in the process of handing over the gold-clad plates to Potty.

The SIT, operating under the directive of the Kerala High Court, has already taken Potty into custody as part of the ongoing investigation.