Kottayam (Kerala) | Former TDB administrative officer Murari Babu, an accused in the cases related to the alleged gold loss from the Sabarimala temple, died at a private hospital in Kochi, family sources said on Saturday.

He was 54 and had been undergoing treatment for cancer for the past three months. He breathed his last at Amrita Hospital on Friday night, they said.

Murari Babu was arrested last year in connection with cases related to the alleged gold loss from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates and the doorframes of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the hill shrine while serving as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) official.

The Kollam Vigilance Court had on January 23 granted him statutory bail in the two cases after 90 days had elapsed since his arrest and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file chargesheets.

Babu was the second accused in the case related to the alleged gold loss from the Dwarapalaka idol plates and the sixth accused in the case pertaining to the alleged gold loss from the Sreekovil doorframes.

He was arrested in October last year on allegations that when the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, proposed electroplating the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil doorframes, Babu had forwarded the proposal to the Travancore Devaswom Board.

He was booked on charges of conspiracy related to the alleged gold loss.

At the time of his arrest, Babu was serving as Deputy Devaswom Commissioner in Haripad and was subsequently suspended from service after the incident came to light.

A former police constable, Babu joined the Kerala Police in 1994 and underwent initial training in Kannur. However, he later left the force and joined the Travancore Devaswom Board in 1997.

He was subsequently appointed as a clerk at the Ettumanoor temple and later served in various capacities under the Devaswom Board.

Babu had also worked as Special Officer for temple festivals at Vaikom, Ettumanoor and Thirunakkara temples, TDB sources added.