Overview
- In a custody application to the vigilance court, the SIT said the case extends beyond the dwarapalaka idols and door frame to seven gold-clad copper plates in the Prabha Mandalam covering the Shiva idol and vyali motifs.
- Investigators reported that the removed gold was chemically separated at Smart Creations in Chennai and is held by Pankaj Bhandari and Bellary-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam.
- The SIT has sought custody of three accused — Unnikrishnan Potty, Pankaj Bhandari and Govardhan Roddam — and has made ten arrests to date.
- VSSC-Thiruvananthapuram scientists will collect samples from gold-covered copper plates to determine the quantity of plating on temple artefacts.
- A second SIT report to the Kerala High Court flagged serious irregularities in Travancore Devaswom Board meeting minutes tied to oversight of temple valuables.