The SIT claims that gold-clad copper plates, including those from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, were removed and taken from replating. The same method was used for plates from two nearby pillars and seven plates from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), the investigators assert.
In a startling revelation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has moved the Kollam Vigilance Court with a custody application, stating that more gold was likely siphoned off from the temple than initially believed.
The SIT’s probe suggests that seven gold-clad copper plates, apart from the earlier Dwarapalaka idols and door frame, were also stolen in a similar manner.
The custody application was filed for further questioning of the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty; the ninth accused, Pankaj Bhandari; and the tenth accused, Govardhan. According to the SIT, the gold was extracted using a chemical mixture at Chennai-based Smart Creations, which is owned by the ninth accused Pankaj Bhandari, and is in his and Govardhan’s possession.
The SIT, through its petition, submitted that gold-clad copper plates, weighing a total of 42.1 kg, were handed over to Potty in 2019 for electroplating at Smart Creations.
The remaining gold was allegedly siphoned off by the accused after the plating process. The SIT claims that gold-clad copper plates, including those from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, were removed and taken from replating. The same method was used for plates from two nearby pillars and seven plates from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum), the investigators assert.
