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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 11 (IANS) The Crime Branch branch of the Kerala Police on Saturday formally registered a case in connection with the suspected gold plate scam at the Sabarimala temple.
Earlier, the Kerala High Court had constituted a special investigation team of five police officers led by crime branch chief ADG Police H. Venkatesh.
The case has now been handed over to Venkatesh for further action.
The 10 people named in the case include ‘sponsor’ Unnikrishnan Potti, his associates and Devaswom Board officials.
The charges include theft, forgery, breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.
Preliminary findings point to major procedural violations during the transfer of the gold plates on July 19 and 20, 2019.
Devaswom vigilance report indicates nexus between officials and contractors.
The gold plates were allegedly transported from Kerala to Bengaluru and then to Hyderabad within ten days, bypassing standard protocols.
While the initial vigilance report stated 989 grams of gold was missing, later findings suggest that the actual quantity may be much higher.
Maharaja records maintained by the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner indicate that the original plates may have been swapped or altered elsewhere.
The role of Smart Creations, the company handling the plating work, is now under investigation.
While the company claims it does not melt gold, it admitted to doing so on behalf of its regular customer Potti.
The SIT is expected to conduct scientific tests to determine whether the original gold plates were melted or replaced.
The case involving one of the most revered temples in Kerala is expected to escalate with more arrests and evidence-based action in the coming days.
Since the scam came to light, both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP have been demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan and Devaswom Board members.
The last four days of the assembly session ended in chaos, with the Congress-led UDF opposition raising the issue.
–IANS
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