Sabarimala Gold Panel Theft: SIT Takes Prime Accused Unnikrishnan Potti into Custody

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court to look into the alleged diversion of gold-plated copper molds meant for the stone carvings and sculptures in the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple arrested the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti on early Friday, October 17, 2025.

SIT arrest was the first in the gold theft case, which has seen increasing agitations by Opposition parties, who are demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P. S. Prasanth.

Hours of Waiting

Summoned to the Crime Branch office on Thursday, Mr. Potti’s whereabouts were not known to his family members, his lawyer, or the journalists who had assembled at the office for several hours.

After taking him for a detailed medical check-up to the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala SIT allowed Mr. Potti to contact his family to inform them of his whereabouts before his formal arrest.

Inter-State Investigation

The investigation that has spanned across multiple states involved the former TDB officials and Mr. Potti, along with the owners of a firm dealing with smelting, electroplating and restoration of copper-gold articles. The investigation was conducted in complete secrecy in strict compliance with the orders passed by the High Court.

Mr. Potti, who served as an assistant to a TDB-appointed priest in Sabarimala in the early 2010s, had opened the can of worms by stating in September that two temple gold overlays that he had donated to the Sabarimala temple in 2019 were missing.

Shockwaves for the LDF Government

The statement created shockwaves in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, already in a difficult position as it was in the midst of making arrangements for the Global Ayyappa Sanghamam at Pampa as part of its Sabarimala development programme. The High Court’s division bench monitoring Sabarimala issues in the state had ordered the TDB’s vigilance wing to conduct a preliminary inquiry.

The vigilance officials had recovered the two gold-plated panels from the house of Mr. Potti’s sister in Thiruvananthapuram, after the theft investigation gained momentum.