The special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, in a report to the Kerala High Court on Monday, said key persons arrayed as accused in the case conspired to steal more gold from the temple, including from the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and the door frame of the sanctum sanctorum.
Three accused held a secret meeting in Bengaluru after the case came up for hearing in the High Court in October 2025. The three – prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti, Bellari-based jeweller Govardhan and Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations, where the idols were taken for gold plating — discussed the possible course of action in case they were implicated in the case, in a bid to destroy evidence. All this was confirmed based on their cellphone records, the SIT says in the report.
Yet another finding is the connivance of officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in the alleged misappropriation of gold from the temple. The report says that all criminal activities were part of a large conspiracy and organised crime conducted by the accused. They had a larger plan to dismantle other gold-clad items of the Sreekovil and misappropriate the gold.
