Former TDB president Vasu in SIT custody over Sabarimala gold theft case

KOLLAM : The Kollam Vigilance Court on Thursday sent former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the theft and misappropriation of gold slabs from the Sabarimala temple. The custody ends at 4 p.m. today, after which he will be produced before the court. He will be interrogated at the Kollam Police Club. The prosecution argued that police custody was essential to examine Vasus role in the case and to verify whether he had any direct financial links with the first accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, and whether he benefited from the alleged theft. The court accepted the argument. The defence opposed the custody, stating that Vasu had already been questioned once and that further custodial interrogation would cause mental and physical distress. They also argued that the alleged incident did not occur during his tenure as either TDB president or commissioner. The court rejected the objections. Vasu has been named the third accused in the case involving gold-plated copper casings that covered the stone carvings and sculptures of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. According to the SIT, the slabs were incorrectly recorded as copper in a letter submitted by Vasu to the Board. The Board approved the letter on 26 February 2019 and later decided to hand over the slabs to Potti on 19 March 2019. The removal was carried out based on an order issued by Devaswom Secretary S Jayashree. The investigation report cites serious lapses on the part of officials, including Vasu, and states that the gold was lost due to irresponsible administrative actions and failures within the Board. Vasu was arrested on Tuesday by the SIT appointed by the High Court to probe the alleged misappropriation of the gold-plated casings.