THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after his arrest, the special investigation team (SIT) investigating the Sabarimala gold theft case seized documents and collected evidence from the ancestral home of Unnikrishnan Potti, the first accused, in Karette on Saturday.
The SIT also questioned Potti’s family members about his financial transactions between 2017 and September 2025, including expenses related to gold, land, house construction, medical treatment, foreign and leisure trips, and bank deposits.
Meanwhile, the team also continued its interrogation of Potti. Speaking to mediapersons while being taken for a medical examination, Potti said those who had him framed would soon be exposed.
Potti reportedly pointed fingers at Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials, among others. After questioning the remaining accused in the coming days, SIT plans to submit an interim report to the High Court by Tuesday.
There are indications that Potti claimed the theft was planned by a Karnataka-based gang, led by a man named Kalpesh, and that the gang benefitted the most, while he gained little. However, the SIT reportedly suspects Kalpesh to be a fictitious name, as neither Potti nor Smart Creations, the Chennai-based firm linked to the case, has provided any details of him.
Currently, the SIT is investigating two cases: One relating to irregularities in the gold-clad panels of the dwarapalaka idols and another concerning the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames and lintel of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
Potti was remanded in police custody for two weeks by the Ranni First Class Magistrate Court.
