17 kg gold pilfered from Temple vault, Police officer's role suspected

NEW DELHI (Scrap Monster):  The role of a police officer is suspected in the alleged gold smuggling from the vaults of the richest Hindu temple in India. The State Intelligence is reported to have received information regarding the IPS officer who is suspected to be involved in the act. However, the State Intelligence denied to reveal the identity of the officer.

According to media reports nearly 17 kilograms of gold was pilfered from the vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in South India. The temple goldsmith had confessed that the said quantity of gold was stolen from the temple and sold to a jewellery shop in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. It is alleged that the gold smuggling took place with the full support of the police officer. A gold plating machine was recovered from the temple premises.

The general public has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the incident. Legal experts have requested the Supreme Court to dissolve the trust that currently runs the temple and controls its assets. Presently, the temple is managed by a trust run by the erstwhile Travancore Royal family.

The temple is said to have rich treasures of wealth including huge stashes of gold stored in six underground vaults coded A to F. Based on apex court order, an audit was conducted to assess the wealth hidden in these vaults. Five of the six vaults are estimated to contain more than Rs. 1 lakh crores worth treasures. The ruling family had then resisted opening of ‘B’ vault.

There had been allegations that a member of the royal family and an executive officer had opened the B vault some years before. Legal exports urged the Supreme Court to open the vault and assess its wealth, in order to prevent further erosion of wealth.