ED raids 21 sites in 3 states over 2019 Sabarimala gold theft money laundering.

On January 20, 2026, the Enforcement Directorate raided 21 locations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka in relation to suspected money laundering related to the 2019 Sabarimala gold theft case. The Travancore Devaswom Board headquarters, companies like Smart Creations, and the homes of important suspects like Unnikrishnan Potti, A. Padmakumar, N. Vasu, Murari Babu, and gold dealers Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari were among the targets. Potti is named as the primary accused in an ECIR filed by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and the agency may pursue asset attachment. The investigation comes after a court-supervised SIT investigation and disparities in gold layers from a 1998 donation by Vijay Mallya. Despite state objections, the Kollam Vigilance Court affirmed its authority and gave documents to the ED. Kadakampally Surendran, a former minister, might also be mentioned.