Sabarimala Gold Theft: Jeweler Confirms Paying Rs 1.5 Crore to Unnikrishnan Potty
In a significant development in the Sabarimala gold theft case, Unnikrishnan Potty, who sold the stolen gold to a jeweler in Bellary, Karnataka, has confessed to receiving Rs 1.5 crore from the jeweler owner, Govardhan, in multiple installments. Govardhan, the owner, informed the special investigation team that he had purchased the gold after making these payments and provided evidence of the transactions to the authorities. Claiming false implication, Govardhan is expected to file an anticipatory bail application in the High Court on Monday. The special investigation team’s findings suggest that Govardhan was aware the gold was the property of the Devaswom Board when he facilitated its sale.
Reports from two months ago indicated that approximately 400 grams of gold were recovered from Govardhan, who operates Rodam Jewels in Bellary. Additionally, about 170 grams of gold were seized from Unnikrishnan Potty’s flat in Kothari Mansion, Sreeramapuram. The recovered gold, which includes various ornaments, bars, and coins, is slated for scientific analysis to ascertain if it originated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple’s gold reserves. The Special Investigation Team conducted these search operations with the cooperation of the Karnataka Police.
Further arrests have been made in connection with the heist at the revered Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. Authorities apprehended another former employee of the Travancore Devaswom Board on Wednesday.
Former Administrative Officer S. Sreekumar was presented before the court by the Special Investigation Team and subsequently remanded. Investigations revealed that Sreekumar, during his tenure as Administrative Officer, had removed the metal cladding from the Dwajapalaka idols and entrusted them to Bengaluru-based Unnikrishnan Potty for gold plating. Sreekumar had previously been named as an accused in this case. With his arrest, the total number of individuals apprehended in the case now stands at seven. The SIT had earlier arrested former Devaswom Board Presidents A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu, three other officials, and Unnikrishnan Potty.
In a related development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to register a case and launch its own investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft, following an order issued by the Vigilance Court in Kollam.
On Friday, the court mandated that all pertinent documents related to the case, including the First Information Report (FIR), remand report, and other relevant records, be handed over to the ED. The court dismissed the objections raised by the Special Investigation Team, which had expressed concerns about sharing case materials and opposed a parallel investigation by the ED.