Two dolly workers held for duping Ayyappa devotees at Sabarimala

Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Oct 30 (PTI) Two dolly workers were arrested for allegedly cheating Ayyappa devotees and taking money from them to arrange darshan at the Sabarimala temple here, police said on Thursday.The arrested have been identified as Kannan (31) and Raghu R (27), both natives of Ranikovil Estate, Peermedu in Idukki district.

Dolly is a traditional palanquin service in which carriers transport pilgrims up the difficult path to the shrine, mostly used by the elderly and people with ailments.

According to police, the incident occurred on October 18 when the hill shrine was open for the Thulam month pooja and a group of devotees from Kasaragod had arrived for darshan.

Amid the heavy rush at Sabarimala, the accused approached the group near Marakoottam and offered to take them directly for darshan, bypassing the queue, an official said.

The devotees were convinced and paid Rs 10,000 to the duo, who took them up to the vicinity of Vavar Nada and then disappeared, police said.

Following a preliminary inquiry by the Travancore Devaswom Board Vigilance into complaints of devotees being cheated, Pamba police registered a case and launched an investigation under Station House Officer C K Manoj.

Police examined multiple CCTV camera visuals and identified the accused before arresting them on Wednesday, an officer said.

The accused were produced before the Ranni court and remanded to the Kottarakkara sub-jail on Thursday.

A recommendation has been sent to the Travancore Devaswom Board to cancel the dolly permits of the accused, police said.

Officials said similar complaints had surfaced earlier about dolly workers misleading pilgrims during peak hours and collecting money to take them ahead of the queue.

As part of the Sabarimala security arrangements, police have started collecting online details of all workers, including temporary staff and dolly workers, to issue ID cards.

From the 2025–26 Mandalam–Makaravilakku pilgrimage season onwards, dolly workers and other staff without registration and ID cards will not be permitted to work, police added. PTI TBA TBA ROH