Sabarimala Gold Heist: SIT's Unveiling Progress Before Kerala High Court

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the disappearance of gold from Sabarimala is poised to present its initial progress report to the Kerala High Court, according to police insiders on Monday. The division bench, comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar, will reconvene to review the case on Tuesday. Sources revealed that the SIT aims to submit the report on the same day.

The report is expected to outline the ongoing investigation’s status, highlighting the arrest of Unnikrishnan Potty, based in Bengaluru, who was involved in the electroplating of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames in 2019. Additionally, it will detail investigative efforts in Chennai, where the electroplating process occurred. The High Court had previously instructed the SIT to file a progress report within two weeks and stipulated a six-week timeframe to conclude the investigation.

The SIT has lodged two cases concerning the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames. Ten individuals, including Potty and officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board, have been charged. There's an expectation of further interrogations soon. Meanwhile, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph accused the government of shielding those implicated, noting delayed arrests and contrasting with the swift actions against Congress workers in other cases.