Thiruvananthapuram: In a major breakthrough in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday night arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused and alleged “sponsor” of the gold re-plating project at the shrine. The arrest came days after the Kerala High Court confirmed that gold worth several lakhs had gone missing from the Sabarimala temple’s sanctum area and ordered a wider probe into the scandal.
According to reports, Potti was taken into custody from his residence in Thiruvananthapuram after over 12 hours of interrogation. He was later taken for a medical examination and will be produced before a local court in Pathanamthitta. The SIT, led by ADGP H. Venkatesh, was formed following the High Court’s directive to probe discrepancies in the temple’s gold-plating work carried out in 2019.
The court had earlier noted that 475.9 grams of gold handed over by a Chennai-based firm, Smart Creations, to re-plate the dwarapalaka idols and other parts of the Sreekovil were not returned to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The gold-clad items were allegedly listed as “copper plates” in official records, and the leftover gold reportedly went missing after re-plating.
Investigators said Potti, who was overseeing the project as the “sponsor,” is believed to have played a key role in misappropriating the gold. During questioning, he is said to have admitted that the theft was “planned,” and hinted that certain TDB officials were aware of the irregularities. He is already among ten accused named in two FIRs registered by the SIT under charges of theft, forgery, criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy.
The Kerala High Court had recently expanded the scope of the SIT probe to include not just the idols but also the side frames and lintels of the sanctum. The court also directed the team to complete the investigation within six weeks and submit a detailed report.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has moved the High Court seeking a CBI investigation, alleging that the state agency may face conflicts of interest. Opposition leaders, including Congress’s VD Satheesan, have said the High Court’s intervention “vindicates their stand” that the gold theft was deliberately hushed up by authorities.
The Travancore Devaswom Board and the state’s Devaswom Minister have both welcomed the SIT probe, saying the truth must come out. “The temple’s sanctity cannot be compromised. Those responsible will face the law,” an official said.