Prime accused in Sabarimala gold theft case arrested after hours of questioning

The investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft has taken a major turn with the arrest of Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused. Potti was arrested early Thursday morning after over 10 hours of questioning at the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram. This marks the first breakthrough in the case involving the theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple’s guardian deity sculptures and threshold.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed two separate cases against Potti, who allegedly smuggled gold from the temple under the pretense of a sponsor. The theft is believed to involve 475 grams (56 sovereigns) of gold, though only three grams were used for plating, and the rest was misappropriated by Potti. Investigators also found that he had collected money from individuals in Bengaluru for similar work.

Suspicion now extends to senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, with charges of serious lapses in handling the gold-plating process. Potti is also linked to Smart Creations, a private firm allegedly involved in gold plating, and the gold involved is said to have been sourced from Bengaluru and Mumbai, not from temple donations. The SIT is continuing to investigate a broader conspiracy involving insiders within the temple administration.