Court Remands Prime Accused as Kerala SIT Escalates Sabarimala Gold-Theft Probe

Overview

• The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni remanded prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti to judicial custody and he was shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram special jail.
• The Special Investigation Team informed the court it will officially record Potti’s arrest in a second case involving the Sreekovil’s Kattilappali panels and will produce him again on November 3.
• Former Sabarimala administrative officer B. Murari Babu remains under arrest, with joint interrogation focusing on an alleged scheme to list gold‑plated panels as copper during maintenance.
• Police produced 608 grams of recovered gold in the Ranni court, with items traced to Ballari and linked searches in Bengaluru and Chennai matching the missing quantity and purity.
• Investigators warned Travancore Devasom Board officials to furnish 1999 renovation and maintenance records, stating that non‑compliance could trigger legal action.