Sabarimala gold heist case: ED raids 21 places in Kerala, TN, K'taka

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Tuesday, intensified its probe into the alleged money laundering angle of the Sabarimala gold robbery case, launching coordinated raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The searches come even as a Special Investigation Team (SIT), functioning under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, continues its parallel criminal investigation into the alleged siphoning of gold from the hill shrine.

The ED teams began searches at the residences of key accused, including first accused Unnikrishnan Potti, CPI(M) leaders Murari Babu, A.Padmakumar, and N.Vasu, as well as at the premises of Bellary-based gold trader Govardhan and establishments linked to Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations, who is alleged to have assisted in melting and disposing of the gold plates.