Overview
- A Ranni magistrate sent Unnikrishnan Potti to Special Investigation Team custody until October 30 after his arrest was recorded following hours of interrogation.
- The SIT’s remand material alleges Potti misappropriated about 2 kg of gold through a scheme executed with Travancore Devaswom Board officials, prompting custodial questioning to trace the gold.
- Investigators searched Potti’s ancestral house at Karettu and are set to question suspended TDB officer Murari Babu, while issuing notices to other accused and examining links to a Bengaluru middleman named Kalpesh and a Hyderabad gold unit.
- Two FIRs are being probed over gold missing from the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames, with 10 people arraigned and Potti named prime accused in both; the role of Chennai‑based Smart Creations remains under scrutiny.
- Quantification remains contested, with the Kerala High Court noting a 4.54 kg weight discrepancy from 2019 even as other reports cite roughly 475 g, and political parties are pressing for resignations and a central probe.