Sabarimala gold theft case: Unnikrishnan Potty taken to Bengaluru by SIT

In a recent development in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) took the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, to Bengaluru on Friday (October 24).

The officials have been in the process of collecting evidence ever since the court granted them custody of Potty.

The SIT team, accompanied by Potty, left the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for Bengaluru early in the morning of October 24. According to the sources, the team is likely to travel to Chennai and Hyderabad with Potty for further investigation.

The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni, on October 17, had granted the SIT custody of Potty till October 30. So the team has hastened the investigation to complete the evidence collection before the custody period ends.

Also Read: Sabarimala | Unnikrishnan Potty misappropriated 2 kg gold: SIT report

Missing gold case

According to the investigation, Potty had received gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) for electroplating in 2019 from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). After electroplating the plates at a Chennai-based firm, he allegedly displayed them at various locations in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kerala without authorisation.

Potty, who hails from Bengaluru, had also worked at a temple in the city. According to the officials, some of his sponsored works at the Sabarimala temple are believed to have been funded by individuals from Karnataka.

He has been arrested in connection with the case involving missing gold from the Dwarpalaka plates and is a prime accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from the plates of Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames. The SIT arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu in connection with this case on October 22.

(With inputs from agency)