Pathanamthitta, 24 Oct

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple on Friday took the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, to Bengaluru as part of the evidence collection process, officials said.

The SIT team, accompanied by Potty, left the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram by road for Bengaluru early in the morning.

Sources said the exact travel mode of the investigation team has not been officially confirmed yet.

Officials indicated that Potty is also likely to be taken to Chennai and Hyderabad as part of the evidence collection.

Earlier, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni had granted the SIT custody of Potty till 30 October.

The team reportedly aims to complete evidence collection before the custody period ends, sources said.

According to the investigation, Potty had received gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) for electroplating in 2019 from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

He allegedly transported them to various temples and houses across South Indian states without authorisation.

After electroplating the plates at a Chennai-based firm, he is said to have displayed them at different locations in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kerala.

Potty, who is based in Bengaluru, had also worked at a temple in the city.

Officials said some of his sponsored works at the Sabarimala temple were actually funded by individuals in Karnataka.

He is the prime accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from the plates of Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames.

Currently, Potty has been arrested in connection with the case involving the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka plates.

Recently, the SIT also arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu.