The Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by the Kerala High Court, has made its third arrest in the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold-plated copper moulds from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. This significant development in the high-profile case occurred on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
The arrested individual has been identified as D. Sudheesh Kumar, a former executive officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), who was stationed at the temple in 2019.
The year 2019 is pivotal to the investigation. During this period, Unnikrishnan Potti, the primary suspect and a former temple assistant, reportedly offered to refurbish the gilded panels. These panels, initially donated to the temple by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998, were later found to have been tampered with.
According to the SIT, the panels returned by Mr. Potti to the temple after an extended duration were significantly lighter and contained considerably less gold than the original artefacts.
Facilitating the Theft
Investigators suspect Mr. Kumar’s role in facilitating the alleged theft and potential replication of the original gilded panels. He is believed to have certified the artefacts as pure copper when they were handed over to Mr. Potti for repair, potentially creating an opportunity for the misappropriation.
Mr. Kumar was summoned for questioning to the State Police Crime Branch office in Injackal, Thiruvananthapuram, on Friday, October 31, 2025. He is scheduled to be presented before the judicial magistrate’s court in Ranni, Pathanamthitta.
Previous Arrests
This arrest follows last week’s apprehension of Murari Babu, a current TDB official who was also on deputation to the temple in 2019, facing similar charges. Both Mr. Potti and Mr. Babu are currently held in judicial remand at the Thiruvananthapuram sub-jail.
Investigation Progress
The SIT has reportedly established a detailed timeline of Mr. Potti’s movements during the period he was in possession of the religious artefacts. The team is also actively tracking the suspected financial proceeds from the crime, exploring potential investments in real estate or with illicit money lenders.
Court documents filed by the SIT accuse Mr. Potti of leasing the gilded casings to affluent Ayyappa devotees for private religious ceremonies in exchange for significant monetary gains.
Potential Theories
Investigators are considering two main possibilities: either the suspects melted down the moulds to extract the gold, or they created inexpensive replicas to sell the valuable originals, originally donated by Mr. Mallya, to wealthy private collectors.
Broader Network and Connections
The SIT is also investigating Mr. Potti’s alleged network within the temple’s orthodox circles. This network reportedly facilitated special ‘darshans’ (sightings of the deity) for affluent individuals, including business tycoons and film stars, across cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
Sources indicate that Mr. Potti, in turn, arranged for high-ranking Ayyappa temple priests to perform private ‘poojas’ (religious rituals) at the residences and businesses of wealthy devotees, receiving substantial payments in return.
The investigation team also inspected a metalworks unit in Chennai, which Mr. Potti had commissioned for the restoration of the gold-plated copper coverings. However, the management of this unit has not been implicated as an accused in the case so far.
Reaching Higher Echelons
Insiders close to the investigation suggest that the probe is nearing active and retired Travancore Devaswom Board officials, including former TDB presidents and Devaswom Commissioners, many of whom were political appointees. This indicates a widening scope of the investigation into potential high-level involvement.