Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
On Friday, the potty was taken to Bengaluru for investigation.
Sources said the SIT searched a jewelery shop owned by Govardhan, which had allegedly funded the gold plating work of the temple’s Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame, which was officially sponsored by PTI.
Officials said the SIT seized several gold bars from the jewelery shop. However, it is not yet confirmed whether the seized gold was extracted from the gilded copper plates of the Dvarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, which were sent for electroplating in 2019.
SIT has already recorded Govardhan’s statement as part of the investigation.
Read also, More than 112 medicines in India not of standard quality: CDSCO
Meanwhile, the team also searched Potty’s apartment in Srirampura, Bengaluru and visited an Ayyappa temple there, where he had earlier worked as a priest.
Officials said the potty will then be taken to the Smart Creation office in Chennai, where the electroplating work was done in 2019.
Earlier, the judicial first class magistrate court in Ranni had given Potty to SIT custody till October 30.
Sources said the team aims to complete evidence collection before the end of the custody period.
According to the investigation, Potti had received gold plates of Dwarapalaka idols from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for electroplating in 2019.
He allegedly delivered them to various temples and homes in South Indian states without permission.
Potty is the main accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from Dwarpalaka plates and Srikovil door frames.
He has been arrested in the case of gold missing from Dwarapalaka plates, while the SIT had recently arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu in the same case.