PATHANAMTHITTA: Two temporary Devaswom Board employees were arrested by Devaswom Vigilance for allegedly stealing foreign currency and a gold locket by concealing them inside their mouths after stealing the valuables from the Sabarimala temple hundi.
The arrested have been identified as M G Gopakumar, 51, and Sunil G Nair, 51, natives of Alappuzha. Both were working as temporary staff at Sabarimala. After their arrest, they were handed over to the Sannidhanam police.
The theft came to light during a routine check. Officials noticed that both had their mouths unusually filled, leading to a detailed inspection. Vigilance officials said the accused exploited the fact that foreign currencies with special coatings would not get damaged even if concealed inside the mouth.
Malaysian currency was recovered from Gopakumar, while Euro, Canadian and UAE currencies were seized from Sunil. Further searches of their rooms led to the recovery of Rs 13,820 in cash, including Rs 500, Rs 100, Rs 20 and Rs 10 notes, and a 2g gold locket from Gopakumar’s bag. From Sunil Nair’s bag, officials recovered Rs 25,000 in cash, including fifty Rs 500 notes, along with 17 foreign currency notes.