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Sabarimala gold theft case: Prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti arrested
His arrest is related to the theft of gold plating from the sanctum's wooden panels and the Dwarapalaka (door guardian) sculptures at Sabarimala temple.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court on Friday arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, a Bengaluru-based businessman and the main accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, after questioning him for several hours. Potti will remain in SIT custody until he is produced in court later in the day.
His arrest is related to the theft of gold plating from the sanctum's wooden panels and the Dwarapalaka (door guardian) sculptures at Sabarimala temple. The arrest took place on the fifth day of the court-supervised SIT investigation.
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The SIT is currently probing two cases: one involving the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the other concerning the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames. It is expected to seek custody of Potti for further detailed questioning.
Sabarimala gold theft case explained
The issue came to light after a report submitted to the high court said that the gold-plated copper sheets of the Dwarapalaka idols were recently taken to Chennai for repairs and electroplating without seeking permission from the Special Commissioner (Sabarimala) and the court.
During the hearing, the high court bench pointed out that the weight of the gold plates had gone down by around four kilograms when they were handed over to their sponsor, Potti, during a similar process in 2019.
A bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar noted that when the copper plates, covered in gold and placed on the Dwarapalaka idols, were removed for fresh gold plating in 2019, they weighed 42.8 kg. But when they were taken to a Chennai-based firm for the work, their weight had dropped to 38.258 kg.
The court described this 4.54 kg shortfall as an "alarming discrepancy" that requires a full and detailed inquiry. It also questioned why the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which oversees the temple, did not report this major loss in weight at that time.
