Murari Babu, 54, a former administrative officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) who was arrested in connection with the Sabarimala temple gold theft case, died in Kochi on Saturday (June 13, 2026) early morning.
He has been ailing for some time, and the death occurred around 12.48 a.m., said authorities of the Amrita Hospital in Kochi. The body has been handed over to the family members, they said.
A native of Perunna, Changanassery in Kottayam district, he was arrested from his residence after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the gold theft case found that he had allegedly falsely recorded the gold plates on the idol as copper plates.
The SIT had arraigned him as the second accused in the alleged theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka sculptures. He was also the sixth accused in another case related to the theft of gold from the door frames of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He was suspended from service and arrested on October 23, 2025.
The investigation had revealed that the gold plates were allegedly handed over to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti in the guise of renovation on Mr. Babu’s intervention. His role in the door frame case was also established during the probe, leading to further legal proceedings.
Mr. Babu was accused of dishonestly recommending repairs of the gold-clad copper encasements of the Dwarapalaka idols and the gold-clad copper plates on the north and south pillars while serving as administrative officer of Sabarimala in 2019.
The Kollam Vigilance Court had granted him bail in both cases on January 23 after considering the defence’s plea that the accused was entitled to bail as the SIT failed to file chargesheet even 92 days after his arrest.
Published - June 13, 2026 08:15 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
