Temple employee arrested in connection with gold theft at Sabarimala Temple

Suspicion also cast on Travancore Devaswom Board officials

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) — Kerala Police’s Crime Branch has arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, an accused in the Sabarimala Temple gold misappropriation case. Potti previously worked as an employee at the Sabarimala Temple.

In 2019, he was assigned the task of gold-plating certain parts of the temple. Later, it was discovered that around 4 kilograms of gold had gone missing during the process, prompting a court-ordered investigation.

The inquiry revealed that the original gold was replaced under the guise of gold plating and that either fake or significantly lesser quantities of gold were actually used.

1. In this case, the Kerala High Court had ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The investigation revealed that Unnikrishnan Potti manipulated the gold-plating work and defrauded the temple’s property. He has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft, fraud, and breach of trust. He was arrested from his residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

2. Several officials and employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board are also under suspicion in connection with the case. Since the incident occurred under the supervision of the temple administration, the investigation into their possible involvement is currently underway.

Editorial Perspective

The continuous exposure of such incidents highlights the negative consequences of government control over temples. Hindus must now unite and launch a nationwide movement to compel governments to end the state control of temples !