(Image source from: News9live.com)
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that the Kerala High Court set up to look into the gold theft at Sabarimala has made its first arrest. The main suspect, Unnikrishnan Potti, was taken into custody early on Friday after being questioned for several hours by the SIT led by SP Bijoy. Officials have stated that all required procedures for the remand report have been finished. Potti is expected to appear at the Ranni Court by tomorrow noon. He was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital to undergo a health check. Potti will stay in SIT custody until he is brought to court.
This arrest is the first major development in the case involving the theft of gold from the guardian deity sculptures and the threshold of the Sreekovil at Sabarimala. The SIT has filed two separate cases against Potti, who is accused of taking gold from the temple while pretending to be a sponsor, according to reports from the news agency IANS.
In the two FIRs (First Information Reports), the SIT has named ten individuals, with Potti listed in both.
The theft is believed to include 475 grams of gold, which is roughly 56 sovereigns. Investigators discovered that although only three grams of gold were used for plating, Potti took the rest for himself. He also allegedly received funds from two people in Bengaluru for the same purpose. During questioning, Potti reportedly confessed that the gold theft was premeditated and claimed that officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) were aware of the plan. As per sources, Potti said that the stolen gold was divided among TDB members. Another person, a middleman named Kalpesh, is considered a significant part of the conspiracy. The SIT is also looking into the possibility that Smart Creations, the company responsible for re-plating the offerings and doorkeepers of the Sabarimala Temple, had a role in this.
Some important work records from Smart Creations are reportedly missing. Previously, a man from Hyderabad was suspected to be part of the crime. The SIT plans to present an update on its investigation in a sealed report to the high court next week.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the President of Kerala BJP, has called for the resignation of State Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan. "The BJP will request the Central government for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) or ED (Enforcement Directorate) investigation into the matter," Chandrasekhar stated while attending a protest by the BJP Mahila Yuva Morcha against the robbery in Thiruvananthapuram.
