A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case relating to misappropriation of gold in Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, on Friday (17th October), arrested Unnikrishnan Potty, who sponsored gold-plating of temple items. Potty was arrested by the SIT after several hours of questioning.
Potty, a Bengaluru-based businessman, was detained from his residence in Pulimath, Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday (16th October) and was taken to the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram for questioning. After about 11 hours of interrogation, Potty’s arrest was officially recorded in the early hours of Friday.
Thereafter, he was taken to the government hospital for examination before being shifted to Pathanamthitta later in the day. Potty is expected to be produced before a court in Ranni, Pathanamthitta, where the SIT will seek his custody for further questioning. The SIT’s action comes on the fifth day of the court-monitored SIT probe.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, has been arrested after over ten hours of questioning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The arrest was officially recorded at 2:30 a.m. on Friday. Unnikrishnan… pic.twitter.com/AMqUBpLric
— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2025
The SIT, formed after the directions of the Kerala High Court, has been probing two cases relating to the theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames at Sabarimala temple.
Several Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) members and officials have been indicted in the cases arising from the handing over of gold-clad copper plates from the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames to Potty for electroplating in 2019. Potty has been named as the main accused in the case.
In September 2025, the Kerala High Court pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for removing the gold-plated copper coverings of deities in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. While examining the records relating to the gold plating of temple items, the High Court observed several inconsistencies in the decision-making process. The court noted that the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner initially recommended the traditional method for gold coating using 303 grams of gold (costing around ₹31 lakhs), but later reversed his stance after discussions with the sponsor and recommended that the items be sent to Chennai for electroplating.
The court pointed out that this violated the TDB Sub Group Manual, which requires such works to be carried out at Sannidhanam itself. It ordered the seizure of all records relating to the gold-plating and cladding of the idols, including details of a former pair of Dwarapalaka idols reportedly kept in the strong room for possible gold extraction. Besides, the court impleaded Unnikrishnan Potty and Smart Creations (where the coverings were sent to be repaired) as additional respondents, requiring them to furnish all financial and communication records linked to the repairs and sponsorships.
