Gold theft case: Court orders lie-detector test on six Padmanabhaswamy temple employees

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 8
In a major development in the Padmanabhaswamy temple gold theft case, the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial Magistrate Court has ordered polygraph (lie-detector) tests on six temple employees in connection with the disappearance of gold from the temple's strong room.

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, located in the heart of the state capital city, is among the country's richest and most revered shrines, and it remained under strict surveillance and court-monitored administration following earlier Supreme Court interventions on its treasure management.

The fresh directive comes even as a Kerala High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has made arrests in another high-profile case - the Sabarimala temple gold theft, in which four people, including three Travancore Devaswom Board employees, have been arrested.

The court's order followed an application by the Fort Police, who are probing the Padmanabhaswamy case.

Investigators said the tests are expected to help clarify the circumstances under which a quantity of gold taken out for gilding the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door went missing.

According to the police, about 13 sovereigns (roughly 104 grams) of gold disappeared between May 7 and May 10 this year.

The temple manager filed a complaint after detecting the shortage.

During the probe, the police recovered a portion of gold, identified as gold bars, buried in sand within the temple premises, believed to be part of the missing stock.

While permitting the polygraph tests, the court directed that written consent must be obtained from each of the six employees before the procedure.

Though not admissible as direct evidence, lie-detector results often aid investigators in assessing the consistency of statements and identifying potential discrepancies.

Police officials said forensic formalities would be completed soon, adding that the polygraph findings could play a key role in determining whether the missing gold was stolen, misplaced, or concealed during renovation work.

With the latest court order, the probe has entered a decisive phase in unravelling the mystery surrounding the temple's missing gold.