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Not an ‘iota of evidence' against thantri: Court
The New Indian Express Kochi
|February 20, 2026
IN A big blow to the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Kollam Vigilance Court has ruled that investigators failed to produce “an iota of evidence” to establish a prima facie case against thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru.
The court had granted bail to the thantri on Wednesday, 41 days after he was arrested by the SIT in the cases registered for theft of gold from the door frames as well as dwarapalaka idols.
The court, in its bail order, said the SIT was unable to establish “any prima facie materials to link the petitioner in the alleged conspiracy by any means”.
This story is from the February 20, 2026 edition of The New Indian Express Kochi.
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