In Sabarimala Gold Theft Case, Remand Report Points To Larger Conspiracy

The nine-page remand report in the sensational Sabarimala gold theft case has laid bare the scale of the crime and also points to a broader conspiracy. The report, which has been accessed by NDTV, makes it clear that the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, did not act alone. Instead, the theft was meticulously carried out with the active aid and collusion of at least nine officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in 2019.

Potti, who had close connections with temple authorities, was produced before the first-class judicial magistrate court at Ranni in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district at noon on Friday and was remanded in police custody till October 30. The custody was sought by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the extent of the theft, the route of the door panels associated with the Dwarapalaka idols from which gold was stolen, and the involvement of the co-accused.

The remand report, filed before the court, states that Potti stole nearly 2 kg of gold from the premises of the revered temple.

According to investigators, this was not because of custodial mishandling, but the result of a deliberate attempt to amass personal wealth, raising grave questions about the custodianship of temple wealth.

The report explains that Potti displayed temple artefacts at multiple locations for financial gain, undermining centuries-old customs and causing anguish to devotees. To replace the stolen precious metal, sponsors came forward and provided fresh gold, which Potti accepted as donations. And then, instead of using it for its intended purpose, he took possession of the gold.

Official Involvement

The most explosive section of the remand report points to the complicity of the Devaswom Board in 2019, headed by A Padmakumar. It accuses the board and nine senior officials of enabling Potti to remove gold ornaments from the sanctum sanctorum, violating High Court orders and temple rules.

Among those named, administrative officer Murari Babu and executive officer Sudheesh Kumar allegedly recorded the gold as copper in official registers, thereby masking the theft. Jayashree, the then Devaswom secretary, is accused of tampering with board minutes to facilitate Potti's unregulated access to ornaments. Other officials allegedly conspired by forging signatures on the Mahasar (the authoritative temple record) and deliberately failing to verify the weight of the ornaments before and after plating.

This, investigators argue, demonstrates a joint responsibility in the crime. The remand report bluntly states that the Sabarimala theft was not the work of an individual acting on his own but a conspiracy involving high-ranking officials tasked with protecting temple assets.

How the Theft Was Executed

The SIT details three stages of fraud carried out by Potti. First, he allegedly took the door panels to a private facility, Smart Creations, and had most of the gold extracted. Second, he returned only 394 grams of plated gold, layered superficially to give the impression that the ornaments had been refurbished. Finally, he pocketed the remaining gold, diverting it for personal profit.

The SIT describes it as a "robbery with joint responsibility," noting that multiple officials signed off on records, altered entries, or looked the other way as the theft unfolded.

It stressed that the theft not only caused financial loss but also desecrated the spiritual sanctity of Sabarimala.

The investigation team has sought custody of Potti to interrogate him further about how the stolen gold was utilised, what proportion remains traceable, and whether more individuals benefited. It has also recommended an extensive probe into the role of Devaswom Board members who allegedly abetted the crime.