THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant development in the Sabarimala gold theft investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday early morning arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, a priest-turned-businessman, who is the prime accused in two cases registered in connection with the missing gold from temple artefacts.
Unnikrishnan was taken into custody from his residence near Kilimanoor on Thursday morning and questioned for 11 hours by Crime Branch SP Bijoy P. Later in the night, S Sasidharan, director of KEPA (Kerala Police Academy), leading the probe under the supervision of Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh, arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Sannidhanam, where he had been conducting the investigation, to continue the interrogation. Following Sasidharan’s questioning, Unnikrishnan’s arrest was formally recorded in the early hours, after which he was taken to the General Hospital for a medical examination.
The High Court had directed the authorities to maintain confidentiality, and the police did not disclose details of the probe to the media. Family members of Unnikrishnan had alleged procedural violations during his custody, prompting his lawyer to raise the matter publicly. The police later shared the custody details with his family.
The SIT had earlier visited Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru as part of its investigation. On Thursday, one team collected case details from Sannidhanam, while on Wednesday, the team had gathered information on alleged irregularities from the Travancore Devaswom Board head office. Sources said these details formed the basis for Unnikrishnan’s detention.
Unnikrishnan is the prime accused in two cases registered by the SIT. While one FIR pertains to the irregularities in the gold-cladded panels of the dwarapalaka idols, the other is connected with the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames and lintel of the Sabarimala sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
The Devaswom Vigilance officer had found that the gold-cladded panels and frames weighed 42.8 kg when it was handed over to Unnikrishnan to be taken to Smart Creations for gold-plating and maintenance work, However, when the artefacts were returned there was a shortfall of 4.5 kg. The dubious financial dealings of Unnikrishnan was also flagged by the Vigilance Officer and that angle would be covered in SIT probe.
