Key accused in Sabarimala gold theft case held, says probe team
Sabarimala temple gold theft case: priest Unnikrishnan Potty arrested by SIT for misappropriating gold, prompting political protests and calls for resignations.
In a major development in the case involving the alleged theft of gold assets from the Sabarimala temple, the High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday recorded the arrest of the key accused Unnikrishnan Potty, a Bengaluru-based priest-turned-businessman.
Potty, accused of misappropriating gold from the panels covering the sculptures of the ‘Dwarapalakas’ (door guardians) at the Sabarimala temple, had earlier been arraigned as the first accused in the case filed by the SIT and charged under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 466 (forgery of public records), 467 (forgery of valuable documents) and 34 (joint liability) of the IPC.
An official, requesting anonymity, said Potty was picked up from his home at Pulimath in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday and questioned throughout the day.
“Finding evidence of complicity, his arrest has been recorded. He was produced at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni, which has sent him to custody till October 30,” the official said.
On his way from the court, Potty (52) yelled out to reporters, “Those who have trapped me will be brought before the law.”
The remand report, submitted by the SIT before the court in Ranni and seen by HT, stated that the ‘dwarapalaka’ sculptures beside the doors of the sanctum sanctorum in Sabarimala were among those gold-plated as part of a donation by then UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya in 1998.
Despite knowing the fact, Potty, in collusion with Devaswom officials, misrepresented the gold plates as ‘copper sheets’ and took them out purportedly for renovation to a firm in Chennai, the report said.
“Through criminal breach of trust and violation of existing rules, Potty got hold of the around 2 kilogram-weighing gold-plated copper sheets and transported them to cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru in 2019. He took them to Smart Creations in Chennai where he used just 394 grams of gold to cover the sheets and extracted the rest of the gold to keep in his possession. He took the plates to various homes and temples in Kerala and other cities and performed poojas without any safety protocols,” the report said.
The SIT told the court that it was of utmost importance to question Potty further in custody and retrieve the stolen gold. The court accepted the SIT’s argument.
The arrest of Potty comes on the heels of the Congress and BJP fanning out across the state with protests against the CPM-led government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the Sabarimala temple. Both parties have demanded the resignation of the Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan, and the TDB President PS Prasanth.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said the finger should now point to those who have helped Potty steal the gold assets. “Everyone knows that political leaders and TDB members are involved in the theft. They covered it up. They knew that they would be trapped if Potty got trapped,” he said.
BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar said if Vasavan doesn’t resign, his party would appeal for central agencies’ probe. “Everyone knows that there are big leaders involved. It’s not just these middlemen like Potty,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sabarimala temple opened on Friday for poojas in the Malayalam month of Thulam. At the time of opening, the gold-cladded sheets around the ‘dwarapalaka’ sculptures were refitted in the presence of TDB officials after being recently taken out of the temple premises for purported renovation.
