PATHANAMTHITTA : The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested a former priest in connection with irregularities in the sale of ghee offerings (Adiya Shishtam ghee) at Sabarimala during the recently concluded Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The priest was taken into custody by the Pathanamthitta Vigilance unit.
According to officials, the accused, K R Sunilkumar Potti, a native of Aroor, Alappuzha, is a former priest of the Chaliyekkara Bhadrakali temple under the Punalur group of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
He had been entrusted by the Devaswom Board with the responsibility of selling Adiya Shishtam ghee at Sabarimala during the 2025-2026 pilgrimage season.
According to the Vigilance, employees appointed by TDB for the sale of ghee in packets during the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival allegedly indulged in large-scale irregularities by failing to remit the full sale proceeds to the board. Instead, manipulation of stock and accounts was carried out, causing a financial loss of Rs 36,24,400 to the Devaswom Board.
A case was registered after a Vigilance probe revealed that the entire amount collected from the sale of ghee was not deposited with the Board, resulting in misappropriation of public funds.