Pankaj Bhandari, owner of Smart Creations, Chennai, and the ninth accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has informed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) about the involvement of a specialist from Maharashtra in the unauthorised extraction of gold from temple fittings and idols at the Sabarimala temple.
According to a statement given by Bhandari to the SIT on 9 October 2025, a copy of which was annexed to documents submitted before the High Court by the probe team, he stated that in 2019, his firm had engaged a specialist from Maharashtra who was experienced in recovering gold from stripping solutions. Bhandari told investigators that he would provide the specialist’s details to the SIT.
Bhandari stated that Smart Creations specialised in temple-related works and that he had known Unnikrishnan Potty, the first accused in the case, since 2019. His statement indicated that Potty had repeatedly approached him for gold-plating works connected to Sabarimala. In 2019, Smart Creations undertook the gold-plating work for the sanctum sanctorum door, with the donor being Govardhan Roddom, a jeweller from Bellary, who had introduced Bhandari to Potty.
According to Bhandari, Potty later informed him that while the sanctum sanctorum door appeared brightly gold-plated, the side frames were less bright, and the top Lord Shiva plate appeared dull and dirty. Following this, seven components including Shiva plates and side frames were transported to Chennai for further work.
Bhandari stated that upon examination, his team noticed that the seven pieces were not newly fabricated copper but appeared to be old copper sheets with a gold coating. He informed Potty that fresh gold plating could not be carried out over sheets that were already gold-cladded. However, Potty allegedly insisted that he had full authorisation from the concerned officials and directed the firm to proceed immediately with the work.
As per Bhandari’s statement, Smart Creations was instructed to remove the existing gold from the seven plates and strip the gold from the sheets using a chemical stripping solution, which dissolves gold. Bhandari admitted that his firm did not have expertise in recovering gold from stripping solutions and that engaging a third-party specialist was necessary, as attempting such recovery in-house would result in quality issues and confusion.
The statement further noted that Govardhan, the tenth accused in the case, had provided 186.587 grams of gold for the gold-plating work. Bhandari’s team deposited 184 grams of gold and completed delivery of the seven plates in June 2019. He subsequently informed Potty that gold had been issued for the frames and Shiva plates and that any additional recoverable gold would be assessed after extraction from the stripping solution by the specialist.
Bhandari stated that his firm later received 14 idol components for cleaning. During cleaning using a soap solution, traces of gold were observed on the copper sheets. He informed Potty that these too were old gold-plated sheets and could not be directly replated. Despite this, Potty allegedly insisted that the repair and stripping work be carried out without delay.
Potty also instructed Bhandari not to procure additional gold, stating that sufficient gold was available from the old stripping solution and leftover gold recovered from the Dwarapalaka idols.
After the cleaning and processing work was completed, Bhandari informed Potty that the final gold balance would be calculated after the recovery process. All 14 items were delivered back to Sabarimala in September 2019.
According to the SIT, the gold recovery specialist from Maharashtra extracted 409 grams of gold from the side frames and 577 grams from the idols. As per Potty’s instructions, 393.9 grams were deducted for gold plating of the Dwarapalaka idols and 9.9 grams were allocated for other Sabarimala-related items. After using 404.8 grams of gold for gold plating, a balance of 584.2 grams was handed over to Unnikrishnan Potty.
In its submission to the court, the SIT stated that Govardhan Roddom, along with Pankaj Bhandari, Unnikrishnan Potty and other accused persons, had entered into a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate the gold cladding on copper plates depicting the Dasavatharas, zodiac symbols, the top portions of the door frames and the Prabhamandalam installed in and around the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple.
The SIT has placed these details before the High Court as part of its continuing investigation into the alleged large-scale misappropriation of temple gold.
Source: OnManorama
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
