Lord Ayyappa will not spare the guilty: Jayaram

Kochi: Enforcement directorate (ED) on Tuesday recorded the statement of actor Jayaram in connection with the gold heist at Sabarimala temple. Addressing the media at ED's Kochi office on Tuesday morning, Jayaram said as far as Malayalis are concerned, Sabarimala holds a special place."Though we have many temples, Sabarimala is a place where Indians visit, irrespective of caste and religion. If a scam like this happened there, it should be brought to light. All Malayalis are duty-bound to bring all of those who are involved in this heist. I'm also one among them," said the actor.Jayaram said he was frequently invited for various pujas and ceremonies in Kerala and other states over the past several years. "I try to go whenever possible. Those connected to this invited me for a puja in a similar way. They took me along multiple times for such pujas. If any wrongdoing happened, the court and persons concerned are investigating the case," he said. He added that if ED gets anything useful from him, it is for a good cause. "I hope that things culminate well. If anyone is yet to be caught, may they be caught as well. I don't think Ayyappan will let them go scot-free. I am a believer who has visited Sabarimala for over 50 years. It is also my duty," said Jayaram.Kerala Police's special investigation team, probing cases connected to the gold heist in Sabarimala, had earlier questioned the actor at his residence in Chennai. SIT had asked about his connections and dealings with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti.Earlier, ED had conducted searches at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in connection with the probe into the misappropriation of gold and other temple assets related to Sabarimala temple.ED had said its investigation is based on the multiple FIRs registered by the state crime branch. The agency had registered an ECIR on Jan 9, 2026 after getting a favourable order from the court.