Prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, in the Sabarimala gold theft case was interrogated by the police for over eight hours, said officials on Saturday (June 27). The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned Potty at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.&nbsp;According to news agency PTI, Potty appeared before the investigating team in the morning and was questioned till evening. The interrogation is said to be the final stage of the probe before the SIT files a final report before the court next week.&nbsp;Potty, the prime accused in the case was arrested by the SIT during the investigation. He later got statutory bail after spending more than three months in judicial custody.&nbsp;The temple's gold-plated artefacts that were sent to a firm in Chennai in 2019 for electroplating was sponsored by Potty.&nbsp;It is during the replating process that gold was allegedly removed from the gold-clad plates of the artefacts suspect SIT.&nbsp;What is the Sabarimala gold theft case?&nbsp;The Sabarimala gold theft case is about large-scale misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kg of sacred gold plating from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframes of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala.&nbsp;The scandal came to light when the Kerala High Court observed a massive drop in weight between the gold-clad casings removed for renovation in 2019 and when they were produced at a metal works firm in Chennai for electroplating that was sponsored by Potty.&nbsp;Surprisingly, the precious gold-clad items was recorded as simple "copper plates" in the official handover documents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

The temples gold-plated artefacts that were sent to a firm in Chennai in 2019 for electroplating was sponsored by prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty.

Prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, in the Sabarimala gold theft case was interrogated by the police for over eight hours, said officials on Saturday (June 27). The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned Potty at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. According to news agency PTI, Potty appeared before the investigating team in the morning and was questioned till evening. The interrogation is said to be the final stage of the probe before the SIT files a final report before the court next week. Potty, the prime accused in the case was arrested by the SIT during the investigation. He later got statutory bail after spending more than three months in judicial custody. The temple's gold-plated artefacts that were sent to a firm in Chennai in 2019 for electroplating was sponsored by Potty. It is during the replating process that gold was allegedly removed from the gold-clad plates of the artefacts suspect SIT. What is the Sabarimala gold theft case? The Sabarimala gold theft case is about large-scale misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kg of sacred gold plating from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframes of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala. The scandal came to light when the Kerala High Court observed a massive drop in weight between the gold-clad casings removed for renovation in 2019 and when they were produced at a metal works firm in Chennai for electroplating that was sponsored by Potty. Surprisingly, the precious gold-clad items was recorded as simple "copper plates" in the official handover documents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

The temple's gold-plated artefacts that were sent to a firm in Chennai in 2019 for electroplating was sponsored by prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty.

Prime accused in Sabarimala temple gold theft case interrogated for eight hours

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday is probing the disappearance of gold from the Sabarimala temple after collecting fresh samples of artefacts for scientific analysis. The investigation was led by Superintendent of Police (SP) S Sasidharan, who arrived at Pampa base camp in the morning and advanced to Sannidhanam by afternoon.&nbsp;The probe came after the Kerala High Court approved on Monday to collect new samples for examination. Based on the scheduled timing of the Sabarimala, the temple will be open for the monthly pooja at 5 pm on Thursday and close on February 17 at 10 pm. The SIT is likely to collect samples after the closure of the temple, following completion of various poojas at the Sannidhanam.<h3>Donation of gold and theft in the temple</h3>The Sabarimala gold theft case involves allegations that around 4.54 kilograms of gold were misappropriated from sacred temple assets, including the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) and the Dwarapalaka idols. The alleged theft took place in 2019, reportedly under the guise of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures, according to a report by the news agency ANI.&nbsp;The controversy dates back to a 1998 contribution by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who donated 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Later inspections and court-supervised investigations found inconsistencies between the amount of gold donated and the quantity claimed to have been used.&nbsp;Earlier on the same day, former Devaswom Board president N Vasu was granted statutory bail and released from the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub-Jail in connection with the case. He had spent 90 days in custody, and the bail was granted due to the charge sheet not being filed within the stipulated time.&nbsp;In addition, Vasu is the fifth accused to be released in the Sabarimala case, the third accused in the Dwarapalaka gold theft case, and the fifth in the Sreekovil threshold gold theft case.&nbsp;

The Sabarimala gold theft case involves allegations that around 4.54 kilograms of gold were misappropriated from sacred temple assets, including the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) and the Dwarapalaka idols.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday is probing the disappearance of gold from the Sabarimala temple after collecting fresh samples of artefacts for scientific analysis. The investigation was led by Superintendent of Police (SP) S Sasidharan, who arrived at Pampa base camp in the morning and advanced to Sannidhanam by afternoon. The probe came after the Kerala High Court approved on Monday to collect new samples for examination. Based on the scheduled timing of the Sabarimala, the temple will be open for the monthly pooja at 5 pm on Thursday and close on February 17 at 10 pm. The SIT is likely to collect samples after the closure of the temple, following completion of various poojas at the Sannidhanam. Donation of gold and theft in the temple The Sabarimala gold theft case involves allegations that around 4.54 kilograms of gold were misappropriated from sacred temple assets, including the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) and the Dwarapalaka idols. The alleged theft took place in 2019, reportedly under the guise of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures, according to a report by the news agency ANI. The controversy dates back to a 1998 contribution by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who donated 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Later inspections and court-supervised investigations found inconsistencies between the amount of gold donated and the quantity claimed to have been used. Earlier on the same day, former Devaswom Board president N Vasu was granted statutory bail and released from the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub-Jail in connection with the case. He had spent 90 days in custody, and the bail was granted due to the charge sheet not being filed within the stipulated time. In addition, Vasu is the fifth accused to be released in the Sabarimala case, the third accused in the Dwarapalaka gold theft case, and the fifth in the Sreekovil threshold gold theft case.

The Sabarimala gold theft case involves allegations that around 4.54 kilograms of gold were misappropriated from sacred temple assets, including the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) and the Dwarapalaka idols.

Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT reaches temple to collect fresh sample for investigation

Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft, made substantial profits through fraudulent means after submitting a request to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in 2019. He sought permission to gold-plate the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames at the Sabarimala Temple. During the investigation, it was revealed that Potti exploited this opportunity for personal gain, leading to his arrest. The Bengaluru-based businessman was taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after a lengthy 12-hour questioning. He has been remanded until October 30 and moved to a police facility in Pathanamthitta.&nbsp;<h2>Here's how did Potti get the gold</h2>In 2019, Potti received the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil frames after approval from the Devaswom Board. However, instead of conducting a legitimate electroplating process, Potti transported these items to various locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh with the help of corrupt board officials who violated temple regulations.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/-they-attacked-and-injured-local-villagers-india-responds-to-bangladesh-s-protest-over-killing-of-three-suspected-cattle-thieves-in-tripura-1760701419457">'They attacked and injured local villagers': India responds to Bangladesh's protest over killing of three suspected cattle thieves in Tripura</a>&nbsp;The gold-plating was carried out by Smart Creations, but Potti secretly extracted gold from the sacred idols and door frames. While he re-plated a small amount of gold, he kept the rest for himself. He also hid the frames under the alias "Pooja" to continue his financial deception. The Kerala High Court recently observed that the weight of the gold-clad Dwarapalaka idols decreased from 42.8 kg to 38.2 kg, confirming the theft. The SIT is now looking into a possible larger conspiracy involving the theft of the gold. Potti remains in SIT custody, where the court has ordered a daily medical check-up for him during his detention period.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-is-harcharan-singh-bhullar-senior-punjab-police-officer-arrested-in-9k-corruption-scandal-1760698733693">Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar? Senior Punjab police officer arrested in corruption scandal</a>

Sabarimala gold theft case: How the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, stole gold from temple idols

Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft, made substantial profits through fraudulent means after submitting a request to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in 2019. He sought permission to gold-plate the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames at the Sabarimala Temple. During the investigation, it was revealed that Potti exploited this opportunity for personal gain, leading to his arrest. The Bengaluru-based businessman was taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after a lengthy 12-hour questioning. He has been remanded until October 30 and moved to a police facility in Pathanamthitta. Here's how did Potti get the gold In 2019, Potti received the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil frames after approval from the Devaswom Board. However, instead of conducting a legitimate electroplating process, Potti transported these items to various locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh with the help of corrupt board officials who violated temple regulations. Also Read: 'They attacked and injured local villagers': India responds to Bangladesh's protest over killing of three suspected cattle thieves in Tripura The gold-plating was carried out by Smart Creations, but Potti secretly extracted gold from the sacred idols and door frames. While he re-plated a small amount of gold, he kept the rest for himself. He also hid the frames under the alias "Pooja" to continue his financial deception. The Kerala High Court recently observed that the weight of the gold-clad Dwarapalaka idols decreased from 42.8 kg to 38.2 kg, confirming the theft. The SIT is now looking into a possible larger conspiracy involving the theft of the gold. Potti remains in SIT custody, where the court has ordered a daily medical check-up for him during his detention period. Also Read: Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar? Senior Punjab police officer arrested in corruption scandal

Unnikrishnan Potti, arrested for the Sabarimala gold theft, profited by fraudulently replacing gold from idols after a plating contract with the Devaswom Board

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Prime accused in Sabarimala temple gold theft case interrogated for eight hours

Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT reaches temple to collect fresh sample for probe

Sabarimala gold theft case: How the main accused stole gold from temple idols