Court orders lie-detector tests on Padmanabhaswamy temple staff in gold theft probe

Thiruvananthapuram: The Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram has ordered polygraph (lie-detector) tests on six employees of the Padmanabhaswamy temple as part of the investigation into the disappearance of gold from the shrine’s strong room.

The directive follows a request from the Fort Police, who are probing the case involving the loss of around 13 sovereigns (approximately 104 grams) of gold. The missing quantity had been taken out for gilding the sanctum sanctorum door between May 7 and May 10 this year. A complaint was filed by the temple manager after the shortage was detected.

Investigators later recovered a portion of the missing gold, identified as gold bars, buried in sand within the temple premises. Police believe the polygraph tests will help clarify whether the gold was stolen, misplaced, or concealed during renovation work.

The court has instructed that written consent be obtained from each of the six employees before conducting the tests. While polygraph results are not admissible as direct evidence, they are often used to assess the consistency of statements and identify discrepancies.

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, one of India’s wealthiest and most revered shrines, remains under strict surveillance and court-monitored administration following earlier Supreme Court interventions concerning its treasure management.

The latest development comes as a Special Investigation Team appointed by the Kerala High Court made arrests in a separate temple gold theft case involving the Sabarimala shrine. Four individuals, including three Travancore Devaswom Board employees, were taken into custody.

With the court’s order, the Padmanabhaswamy probe has entered a crucial phase in resolving the mystery surrounding the missing gold.

(Inputs from IANS)