Sabarimala gold plating case: SIT grills prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty

Thiruvananthapuram | The SIT probing cases relating to the gold allegedly missing from the Sabarimala temple is interrogating the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, police sources said.

Potty, a Bengaluru-based businessman, was taken into custody from his residence at Pulimath near here on Thursday afternoon, they added.

He was later shifted to an undisclosed place for interrogation, sources said.

After taking over the investigation as per the Kerala High Court's directive, the SIT conducted a preliminary probe focusing on evidence collection.

The team has already obtained documents from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) related to the handing over of gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames for electroplating in 2019.

Investigators have also collected information from Smart Creations, Chennai, the firm that carried out the electroplating work, regarding the gold sponsored by Potty.

Now, SIT has started recording the statements of witnesses and accused persons as part of the investigation, police sources said.

Earlier, the TDB Vigilance Wing had questioned Potty for two days and recorded his statement during its preliminary inquiry.

The SIT is currently investigating two cases-one concerning the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and another related to the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames.

The Kerala High Court has set a six-week deadline for the SIT to complete the probe