The Crime Branch on Friday arrested a man on charge of misappropriating gold given to him for making a pallakku (palanquin) for the Thirumala Devaswom Temple in Kochi.
T. Varadarajan of Coimbatore allegedly diverted about 5.5 kg of gold from the more than 13 kg he was given to create the golden pallakku. He has been charged with criminal misappropriation.
Crime Branch officials said the accused had been entrusted with gold sheets for the work for which he had signed an agreement. He subsequently fell ill and could not complete the work.
Temple authorities found that gold was missing from the work done by Varadarajan when they entrusted another person to complete the work.
The accused was found from Coimbatore and arrested in Kochi.
Scriptwriter remandedScriptwriter Hashir Mohamed, who was arrested on Friday on charge of attempting to rape a woman, was remanded in judicial custody by a court here on Saturday. Police also searched the man’s apartment, but could not find any drugs from the flat.
Hashir was allegedly under the influence of narcotics when he attacked the woman.
Police said he was walking down the stairs nude when he saw the woman and grabbed her.
