Bengaluru businessman Unnikrishnan Potty arrested by SIT in the Sabarimala gold missing case; SIT to seek custody as probe investigates 2019 transfer of gold-clad plates and possible TDB involvement.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold missing case arrested Bengaluru-based businessman Unnikrishnan Potty on Friday after questioning and interrogation at the Crime Branch in Thiruvananthapuram. Potty was taken from his Pulimath residence and later moved to a government hospital for a medical check before being transported to Pathanamthitta; he is expected to be produced before the Ranni court as the SIT seeks custody for detailed interrogation.
The SIT is investigating two linked matters: the disappearance of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the loss of gold from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames. Officials say investigators are probing a 2019 transfer in which gold-clad copper plates were reportedly handed over to Potty for electroplating, and whether any Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) members or officials were involved in that transfer. The TDB Vigilance Wing previously questioned Potty for two days and recorded his statement during a preliminary inquiry.
Kerala High Court had directed the constitution of the SIT and given it a six-week deadline to complete the probe. With Potty now formally arrested, investigators aim to establish the chain of custody for the plates, the nature of any paperwork authorising the transfer, and whether procedural lapses or deliberate wrongdoing occurred. The arrest is likely to intensify scrutiny on temple administration processes and raise calls for tighter oversight of ritual assets and temple inventories.
