SIT to submit first progress report on Sabarimala gold 'theft'

The SIT (Special Investigation Team) investigating the loss of gold from Sabarimala is expected to file its first progress report with the Kerala High Court on Tuesday, according to police sources. The high court bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar has scheduled a hearing for the case, and the SIT plans to present detailed updates on the probe’s current status.

Central to the investigation is Bengaluru-based businessman and former temple priest Unnikrishnan Potty, who was arrested after an intense 11-hour interrogation by the SIT.

Potty sponsored the electroplating of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Sreekovil door frames in 2019. The SIT’s findings suggest that instead of simply electroplating, Potty siphoned off several kilograms of gold from the temple artefacts.

The investigation includes work done at a Chennai-based firm where the electroplating occurred. Test results showed a significant weight discrepancy in temple idols after the plating, confirming theft. The SIT has also detained other accused persons and identified ten individuals, including Potty and officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board, linked to the gold disappearance.

Recently, the SIT interrogated Ananthasubramanium, a key figure who received the gold-clad plates from the TDB on behalf of Potty.

The investigation revealed that he, along with another accused named Ramesh, had signed official documents acknowledging receipt of the items from Sabarimala in July 2019. Additional witnesses including former TDB presidents and staff are expected to be questioned as the inquiry progresses.

The amicus curiae, retired high court judge Justice K.T. Sankaran, entrusted with preparing an inventory of valuables at the shrine, is also expected to submit a preliminary report during Tuesday’s hearing. Justice Sankaran recently visited Sabarimala to inspect the strong rooms where temple valuables are stored.

Amid the ongoing probe, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph alleged that the state government is shielding accused individuals. He criticised the delayed arrest of Potty, contrasting it with swift action taken against Congress workers in other cases. Joseph accused the government of deliberately protecting those implicated in the theft of crores worth of temple gold.

The SIT continues to scrutinise financial documents seized from Potty’s residence, which may shed light on the network involved in the gold theft. Authorities are expected to interrogate additional suspects in coming days as the investigation widens under the vigilant oversight of the Kerala High Court.