Sabarimala sponsor arrested in gold theft case
What's the story
Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court. The SIT, headed by SP Bijoy, interrogated Potti for hours before his arrest. He has been charged in two FIRs and is accused of smuggling gold from the Sabarimala temple under the pretense of being a sponsor.
Investigation progress
Theft of 475gm of gold
Potti's arrest is a major breakthrough in the case, which involves an estimated 475gm of gold theft. Investigators discovered that only three grams were used for plating, while Potti misappropriated the rest. He also allegedly collected money from two Bengaluru residents for this work. During interrogation, Potti confessed that the gold robbery was premeditated and alleged that Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials were in on it. He claimed the stolen gold was distributed among TDB members, sources told NDTV.
Business involvement
Investigation into Smart Creations ongoing
Kalpesh, a middleman, is also suspected to be a key player in this conspiracy. The SIT is also looking into Smart Creations, the business that plated the lentils and dwarapalakas (guardian deities) of Sabarimala Temple. Some important records from Smart Creations are reportedly missing. The SIT will submit its investigation progress in a sealed cover to the high court next week.
Scandal
FIR details
While one FIR deals with irregularities in the gold-clad panels of Sabarimala's dwarapalaka idols, the other deals with the suspected theft of gold from the temple's sreekovil's side frames and lintel. The devaswom vigilance officer discovered that the gold-cladded panels and frames weighed 42.8 kg when they were turned over to Potti for gold plating and maintenance at Chennai-based Smart Creations in 2019. However, when the artifacts were returned, the weight was reduced by 4.5 kg.