THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a crucial development in the probe into Sabarimala gold theft, the special investigation team (SIT) on Thursday took into custody Unnikrishnan Potti, a priest-turned-businessman who has been named the main accused in the two cases it registered.
At the time of going to the press, the SIT had been interrogating Potti. Sources said his arrest would be recorded late in the night after questioning.
Potti was reportedly picked up from his residence near Kilimanoor on Thursday morning and taken to an undisclosed location. Police sources said he was taken to the AR Camp, Pathanamthitta, where he was questioned by senior officers.
The SIT had earlier visited Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru in connection with the investigation.
On Thursday, the team collected details from Sannidhanam. The officers had on Wednesday gathered details pertaining to the irregularities from the Travancore Devaswom Board headquarters. Sources said Potti was detained based on the details the team gathered in these days.
Potti’s lawyer alleged that the police officers did not follow procedures while taking his client into custody.
Potti is the prime accused in the two cases. While one FIR pertains to the irregularities in the gold-cladded panels of the dwarapalaka idols of Sabarimala, the other relates to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames and lintel of the temple’s sreekovil.
The devaswom vigilance officer had found that the gold-cladded panels and frames weighed 42.8 kg when they were handed over to Potti for gold-plating and maintenance to be done at Chennai-based Smart Creations.
However, when the artifacts were returned, there was a reduction of 4.5 kg. The dubious financial dealings of Potti were also flagged by the vigilance officer, and this would also be covered in the probe by the special team.