Kochi/New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches in three states as part of its money laundering investigation into the Sabarimala gold loss case of Kerala, officials said.

Some land assets of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti were frozen during the searches, they said.

About 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The premises linked to Potti in Bengaluru and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar in Kerala apart from jewellers were covered by the federal probe agency as part of the action, said the officials.

Some plots linked to Potti have been frozen under the provisions of section 17(1A) of the anti-money laundering law during the searches. Documents and some 'Mahazars' (a document like panchnama) were also recovered, they said.

The ED filed a PMLA case on January 9 taking cognisance of a clutch of Kerala police FIRs.

The politically sensitive case is already being investigated by a state Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.

The probe is related to a series of irregularities, including official misconduct, administrative lapses and a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate the gold from the various artefacts of the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

The charges also include the loss of gold from the gold-clad copper plates of the 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the 'Sreekovil' (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple.

ED officials said preliminary investigation shows that gold-clad sacred artefacts were deliberately misrepresented as "copper plates" in official records and unlawfully removed from the temple premises between 2019 and 2025.

The gold was allegedly extracted through chemical processes at private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, generating proceeds of crime which were retained, transferred and concealed, according to the officials.

They said the searches are aimed to trace the alleged illicit funds, identify beneficiaries, seize incriminating documents and digital evidence and "ascertain the full extent" of money laundering involved.

The investigation also indicates alleged financial irregularities and scams at Sabarimala, including misappropriation related to temple offerings and rituals, the ED officials said. PTI NES KVK KVK

Sabarimala gold loss case: ED raids sites, seizes documents and freezes assets under anti-money laundering provisions. The Enforcement Directorate, invoking the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, searched 21 locations, recovered documents and Mahazars, and froze plots linked to the prime accused under section 17(1A) to preserve alleged proceeds of crime. The probe targets alleged misrepresentation of gold clad sacred artefacts as copper, unlawful removal and chemical extraction of gold at private facilities, and subsequent retention, transfer and concealment of illicit funds while seeking beneficiaries and digital and documentary evidence.