Kerala temple gold theft: SIT reveals big plot at Sabarimala
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has uncovered a major plan to steal gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
Key suspects—Unnikrishnan Potti, Govardhan, and Pankaj Bhandari—allegedly met in Bengaluru after an October 2025 hearing to discuss steps to be taken if they were implicated in the investigation and possibly to destroy evidence.
The targets included valuable items like Dwarapalaka idols, the seven-part Sreekovil door frame, and several ornate plates and panels.
How deep does this go?
The SIT found that Shankar from Smart Creations extracted 409g of gold from the temple's door frame, passing it to Govardhan.
Thefts reportedly happened between 1998 and September 2025. Some Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials are accused of helping by calling gold-plated items "copper" in records.
So far, nine people have been arrested in each of two main cases, with over 180 witnesses questioned.
The Kerala High Court just gave investigators six more weeks to dig deeper before their next report is due January 19.