Sabarimala gold theft: Main accused gets bail in one case, stays in jail

Unnikrishnan Potti, main accused in the Sabarimala gold theft, got statutory bail in one case but stays in jail for another. Meanwhile, the ED raided 21 locations in multiple states in a probe into money laundering linked to the case.

Accused Granted Statutory Bail in One Case

The Kollam Vigilance Court on Tuesday granted statutory bail to Unnikrishnan Potti, a former helper and the sponsor of gold-plating works at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, in the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols case. He remains the main accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Statutory bail was granted as the chargesheet was not filed even after 90 days. However, Potti will remain in jail in the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames case linked to the gold theft at the Sabrimala temple.

Background of the Sabarimala Gold Theft Case

The case dealt with the 2019 theft of the gilded overlays of the temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels and the alleged manipulation of documents. The Sabarimala gold theft case concerns allegations of the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.

The controversy traces its origin to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who had gifted 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding work at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used.

ED Launches Multi-State Raids

Earlier today, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched extensive raids across multiple states at 21 locations as part of its investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case. The probe agency carried out search operations at the homes of key accused, including Unnikrishnan Potti, former Devaswom Board President A Padmakumar, N Vasu, Murari Babu, and gold traders Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari.

Searches were carried out at Smart Creations in Chennai and at the residence of Bellary-based gold trader Govardhan. The ED also searched at the residence of Unnikrishnan Potti's sister in Valiyakattakkal, Venganoor, and at the Thiruvananthapuram homes of K P Shankaradas, N Vijayakumar and S Baiju. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with the ED probing financial transactions related to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case to determine whether large-scale money laundering occurred or not. (ANI)

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