The Kerala High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team arrested Unnikrishnan Potti early Friday morning in connection with the alleged misappropriation of gold-plated copper artifacts from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. This marks the first arrest in a case that has triggered intense political controversy and public outrage.
Potti, who served as an assistant to a temple-appointed priest in the early 2010s, became the focal point of investigations after he reported in September that two copper-gold overlays he had donated to the temple in 2019 were missing. The subsequent discovery of these panels at his sister's residence in Thiruvananthapuram raised serious questions about his involvement.
The arrest comes amid mounting pressure on the state government, with opposition parties demanding the resignations of Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board president P. S. Prasanth. The religiously sensitive case has cast a shadow over the government's plans to organize the Global Ayyappa Sanghamam at Pampa.
According to investigators, the SIT summoned Potti to the Crime Branch office on Thursday, though his whereabouts remained unknown to his family and legal counsel for several hours. Before his formal arrest, he underwent a medical examination at the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram and was later permitted to contact his family.
The investigation has revealed significant procedural violations by Travancore Devaswom Board officials. The temple vigilance found that TDB had contracted Potti, citing his social connections and influence within temple circles, to restore gold-copper panels originally donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998. This arrangement violated temple protocols, which prohibit entrusting religious artifacts to private individuals.
Investigators discovered that the artifacts took an unusually long 39 days to reach a restoration facility in Chennai, raising suspicions of possible replication and the sale of original panels to private collectors. The TDB internal vigilance reported to the High Court that during transit, the objects were kept at residences of film stars and celebrities for private worship, violating religious protocols.
Further complicating matters, TDB officials allegedly misclassified the gold-plated items as pure copper in temple records, suggesting premeditated criminal intent. The SIT has named seven former and current TDB officials as accused in the case.
The investigation is currently examining Potti's 2019 mobile phone records to trace the movement of artifacts from Sabarimala through Bengaluru and Hyderabad before reaching Chennai. Officials have also identified individuals who took custody of the temple objects at Potti's direction.
The SIT has registered two separate cases in Pathanamthitta, naming Potti as the primary accused in both. Investigators plan to present him before a magistrate in Ranni, Pathanamthitta district, seeking custody for extended questioning. Officials emphasized that the probe is still in its early stages, with the inter-state investigation proceeding under strict High Court supervision.
The case has become a major political flashpoint in Kerala, with the controversy threatening to undermine public confidence in temple administration and government oversight of religious institutions.
