The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Kerala High Court to probe the Sabarimala gold theft case arrested prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti early Friday (17 October 2025) morning after an 11-hour interrogation. The arrest marks the first major breakthrough in the case concerning the theft of gold used in the plating of sacred idols and fixtures at the Sabarimala temple.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has been arrested after over ten hours of questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The arrest was officially recorded at 2:30 a.m. on Friday. Unnikrishnan… pic.twitter.com/AMqUBpLric
— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2025
Officials confirmed that all remand formalities have been completed, and Potti will be produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Ranni, where the SIT will seek his custody for further interrogation. The team has been directed by the High Court not to disclose any investigation details to the public or media without the Court’s permission until the probe concludes.
Allegations and FIR Details
Potti has been booked in two separate cases, both linked to the theft and misappropriation of gold from the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the kattilappadi (threshold) of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at Sabarimala. He is accused of colluding with officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to siphon off gold that had been used for temple plating works.
According to SIT records, Potti allegedly detached gold-plated panels from the temple’s door frames, misrepresenting them as copper plates and securing official approval for their removal. The two FIRs registered in the case name ten accused, including all members of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) of 2019 as the eighth accused collectively. Other officials booked include the then Devaswom Commissioner N. Vasu, Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, and Assistant Engineer.
Findings from the Devaswom Vigilance Probe
The SIT’s findings are consistent with a report earlier submitted by the Devaswom Vigilance Department. The report stated that in August 2019, 14 pieces of gold-clad copper plates from the dwarapalaka idols were handed over to Smart Creations, a private firm, by Potti. He instructed the firm to use previously extracted gold and any leftover material from earlier works.
In September 2019, Smart Creations reportedly returned 14 gold-plated copper plates to Potti, along with a gold certificate for 394.9 grams. However, a recovery specialist later extracted 409 grams of gold from the side frame initially handed over and 577 grams from the dwarapalakas and other related items, totalling 989 grams. This amount included three grams supplied personally by Potti.
Of the total, 393.9 grams were deducted for plating the dwarapalakas and 9.9 grams for other Sabarimala temple items, accounting for 404.8 grams used in total. The remaining 474.9 grams of gold were handed over to Kalpesh, a middleman authorized by Potti. Investigation records do not show that this gold was ever returned to the TDB.
Wider Conspiracy and Missing Records
The SIT has not ruled out the involvement of Smart Creations in the larger conspiracy. Some crucial records of the firm’s gold plating work are reportedly missing. A Hyderabad-based individual has also been indicated as having played a role in the chain of misappropriation.
During interrogation, Potti is said to have admitted that the gold robbery was planned and claimed that certain Devaswom Board officials were aware of the scheme. He allegedly stated that the stolen gold was distributed among members of the Board. The SIT is currently tracing Kalpesh and another suspect, Nagesh, both of whom are absconding.
Ongoing Investigation and Court Oversight
The SIT conducted another inspection at Sannidhanam on Thursday to collect further evidence and re-measure the walls of the sanctum sanctorum. Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board has suspended two officials, identified as Murari Babu and Sunilkumar, in connection with the case.
Potti’s family alleged that they were not informed of his whereabouts after he was taken into custody, prompting his lawyer to accuse the SIT of violating custody procedures. Following media attention later in the evening, Crime Branch officials formally communicated the details of the arrest to his family.
Earlier, the Kerala High Court had directed the SIT to register a case and conduct a comprehensive probe into the theft of 475 grams of gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar ordered an impartial investigation and instructed the SIT to submit its report within six weeks. The progress report is expected to be presented to the High Court in a sealed cover next week.
(Source: OnManorama)
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