The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft formally recorded the arrest of Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, in connection with the alleged theft of gold from the door frames of the temple on Monday (November 3, 2025).
Potti was produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni during the day with a request for custody, following which the arrest was officially registered. The court granted the SIT seven days’ custody of the accused.
Earlier, the SIT had recorded Potti’s arrest in the case related to the alleged theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols. The team has also taken statements from Kalpesh, Vasudevan, Govardhan and Smart Creations Chief Executive Officer Pankaj Bhandari in connection with the case. Sources said they were likely to be summoned again for further questioning.
Meanwhile, the SIT has interrogated former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) N. Vasu on Sunday in connection with the ongoing investigation. The questioning followed the arrest of Sudheesh Kumar, former Executive Officer of Sabarimala.
During his tenure as TDB president Mr. Vasu had received a letter from Potti seeking instructions on what to do with the leftover gold in his possession. The former TDB president has so far maintained that he forwarded the letter to the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner and the Sabarimala Executive Officer for further action, adding that he did not follow up on what action was subsequently taken. However, the SIT believes that Potti sent the letter as part of an attempt to destroy evidence and fabricate a cover-up story. Based on Mr. Vasu’s statement, the SIT now plans to interrogate Sudheesh Kumar once again to clarify certain aspects of the case.
Published – November 03, 2025 05:42 pm IST
