Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: In a significant breakthrough in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court has arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused. He has been remanded to SIT custody till October 30.
According to reports, Potti, a Bengaluru-based businessman, was taken into custody from his residence near Thiruvananthapuram early Friday morning. His arrest followed nearly 12 hours of interrogation at the Crime Branch office on Thursday.
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After his medical examination at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital, Potti was shifted to Pathanamthitta and produced before a Ranni court later in the day.
The SIT, which is probing the disappearance of gold from Sabarimala Temple’s Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames, is also investigating the role of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials in handing over the gold-clad copper plates to Potti for electroplating in 2019.
During interrogation, Potti allegedly admitted that the gold theft was pre-planned and claimed that some TDB officials were aware of the scheme. He told investigators that the stolen gold was distributed among TDB members.
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The SIT has also identified a middleman named Kalpesh as a key figure in the conspiracy and is examining the involvement of Smart Creations, the Bengaluru-based firm that handled the electroplating work.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar demanded the resignation of Kerala Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan, calling for a CBI and ED probe into the case. He wrote on X, “If CM Pinarayi Vijayan continues to dismiss devaswom corruption as a slip-up, we will demand a full-fledged investigation into the Sabarimala gold scam.”
