Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT reveals elaborate conspiracy
Kochi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has submitted a detailed report to the Kerala High Court, “exposing” a meticulously planned conspiracy behind the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.
According to the report, the accused had orchestrated a large-scale theft, with key players including prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti, Pankaj Bhandari, and Bellary-based gold trader Govardhan.
The investigation describes the crime as organised and executed with elaborate planning to evade detection.
The SIT report stated that the accused held a clandestine meeting in Bengaluru in October 2025 to plan the operation, which came to light when the Kerala High Court heard the case.
During this meeting, they reportedly discussed steps to be taken once implicated, as well as strategies to conceal the conspiracy.
Investigators detailed how gold was smuggled from the Sree Kovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple, including from door-guardian sculptures and seven-part plank panels.
Expert Shankar at Smart Creations recovered 409 grams of gold from the plank panels, which subsequently reached trader Govardhan.
The SIT highlighted that significant amounts of money linked to temple offerings had been routed through suspicious accounts, suggesting attempts to cover up the crime.
The SIT has emphasised that the theft qualifies as a major, premeditated robbery and that scientific examination of the recovered gold is required to ascertain the full extent of the theft.
The investigation team urged the court not to grant bail to the accused until the analysis is complete.
The High Court had previously extended the investigation timeline at the request of the SIT, with the Devaswom Bench allowing six additional weeks for further inquiry.
The SIT is scheduled to submit its next interim report on January 19.
In total, 15 individuals are accused of smuggling gold from door-guardian sculptures and 12 from plank panels.
Of these, so far, 10 people have been arrested and are in judicial custody.
The SIT report, which provides a detailed account of the conspiracy, is expected to play a pivotal role in guiding the next stages of the judicial process.