SIT arrests Sabarimala administrative officer in gold missing case
Pathanamthitta (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing gold from the Sabarimala temple arrested former administrative officer B Murari Babu, sources said on Thursday.
Babu, who was suspended by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) following the gold missing row, was taken into custody from his residence in Changanassery on Wednesday night, they said.
He was later shifted to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for interrogation, officials said.
Babu’s relatives reached the Crime Branch office on Thursday morning.
At around 10 am, SIT recorded Babu’s arrest and informed his relative about the procedure, sources said.
They were later allowed to meet the Babu.
SIT will produce Babu before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Pathanamthitta here in the evening, officials said.
SIT is likely to file a petition in court seeking custody of Babu for detailed interrogation.
He is an accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.
In 2019, when the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, proposed electroplating the Dwarapalaka idols to the TDB, Babu forwarded the proposal to the board, claiming that the gold-cladded plates were made of copper.
He reportedly forwarded a similar proposal from Potty again in 2025.
Babu was serving as Deputy Devaswom Commissioner in Haripad when he was suspended from service recently.
The TDB Vigilance, which conducted a preliminary inquiry, had submitted a report raising suspicion about the involvement of certain board officials in the removal of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil.
The Vigilance also pointed out serious lapses by Babu and seven other TDB officials in handing over the gold-clad plates to Potty.
The SIT, which is probing the case at the direction of the Kerala High Court, has already arrested Potty.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
