Where is Sabarimala’s real gold plating? Potti sponsored with others’ money; Govardhan paid ₹1.5 cr

Kochi: In the Sabarimala gold theft case, Unnikrishnan Potti posed as a sponsor using money that belonged to others. Of the funds involved in the case, ₹1.5 crore was routed through gold trader Govardhan, who has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Traders from Chennai and Andhra Pradesh also provided money to the Board through Potti. Funds given by industrialists were diverted by Potti and lent out on interest. It is alleged that Potti siphoned off crores of rupees through this route.

Meanwhile, the SIT has not yet received any information about what happened to the actual gold plates. The SIT has not accepted the statement that the gold-plated sheets were melted. It is reported that Unnikrishnan Potti, Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari, and Govardhan, the owner of Rodham Jewellery in Bellary, are not cooperating during questioning.

The SIT is moving to take Pankaj Bhandari and Govardhan into custody. Investigators have concluded that the gold in Govardhan’s possession does not belong to Sabarimala. The SIT also believes that Govardhan supplied gold in an attempt to mislead the investigation.

Govardhan’s bail plea is expected to be considered on Tuesday by the High Court’s vacation bench. Meanwhile, the SIT will again question former Devaswom Board members K P Shankaradas and Vijayakumar. Arrests will be made only if clear evidence emerges regarding their involvement.

To determine the quantity of the original gold, the SIT had sought the assistance of metallurgical experts from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. The findings of this report are said to be crucial to the case.