Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 15 -- Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday alleged large-scale irregularities in the Sabarimala sanctum gold theft case, claiming that 30.5 kg of gold was siphoned off from the revered hill shrine and replaced with copper plated with gold. Terming the episode a 'grave betrayal of faith', Chennithala said he had shared crucial information with the Special Investigation Team (SIT), gathered from a businessman based abroad.

"Today I met the SIT and gave the information I gathered from a businessman staying abroad. Sabarimala is a religious site considered secular and visited by over five crore devotees every year. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous elements took away 30.5 kg of gold from there and repla...