Sabarimala gold theft case: Kandharar Rajeevar stable after facing health complications
Jan 10, 2026
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 10 : Thantri Kandharar Rajeevar, the arrested accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, who was rushed to the General Hospital Thiruvananthapuram this morning, remains stabilised after facing health complications, Medical Officer Dr Vinu said on Saturday.
Rajeevar, the chief priest of Sabarimala, was shifted from the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail to the General Hospital for treatment.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Vinu said, "He had a variation in his blood pressure levels, and we were treating him for that. He has stabilised now. He has pedal edema, and for that, we have advised further consultation."
The Sabarimala gold controversy centres on allegations of irregularities in the gold plating at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.
Earlier, the Crime Branch had arrested Thantri Kandharar Rajeevar and the 13th accused in connection with the gold theft case.
Investigators state that Rajeevar, a member of the Thazhamon Madam, Chengannur, and a hereditary Thantri under the Travancore Devaswom Board, was fully aware of the earlier gold plating by the Bengaluru-based UB Group.
Despite holding the Thantri post during the relevant period, he allegedly failed to object to or report the removal of the temple's assets, which were handed over to a private individual without following prescribed rituals or customs or obtaining divine consent.
The Crime Branch further alleges that Rajeevar remained present at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam during key rituals on May 18 and 19, 2019, when the panels were removed, and later when they were reinstalled in June 2019, but did not take steps to prevent or report the violations.
According to investigators, this amounted to criminal silence and tacit consent, facilitating unlawful gain for the accused persons and causing loss to the Travancore Devaswom Board.
The arrest was effected after the probe revealed his alleged role in the conspiracy and violation of provisions under the Travancore Devaswom Manual, which mandates that repair works of valuable temple assets be carried out within temple premises and not taken outside.
