Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT conducts searches in Ballari, Bengaluru
Pathanamthitta (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple conducted searches at the apartment of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty in Bengaluru and at a jewellery shop in Ballari, officials said on Saturday.
Potty was taken to Bengaluru as part of the investigation on Friday.
Sources said the SIT searched the jewellery shop owned by Govardhan, who reportedly funded the gold-plating work of the temple’s Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame, which was officially sponsored by Potty.
Officials said the SIT seized several gold bars from the jewellery shop. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether the seized gold was extracted from the gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols that were sent for electroplating in 2019, they added. The SIT has already recorded Govardhan’s statement as part of the probe.
Meanwhile, the team also searched Potty’s apartment at Srirampura, Bengaluru, and visited an Ayyappa temple there, where he had earlier served as a priest.
Officials said Potty will next be taken to the Smart Creation office in Chennai, where the electroplating work was carried out in 2019.
Earlier, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni granted the SIT custody of Potty till October 30.
Sources said the team aims to complete evidence collection before the custody period ends.
According to the investigation, Potty had received the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for electroplating in 2019. He allegedly transported them to various temples and houses across South Indian states without authorisation.
Potty is the prime accused in two cases related to the disappearance of gold from the Dwarapalaka plates and the Sreekovil door frames.
He has been arrested in connection with the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka plates, while the SIT recently arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu in the same case.
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NCB busts secret drug lab in Karnataka's Mysuru; four held
New Delhi (PTI): The Narcotics Control Bureau has busted a secret drug manufacturing laboratory in Karnataka's Mysuru and arrested four people from Rajasthan after seizing narcotics worth Rs 10 crore, the agency said on Friday.
This crackdown began on January 28 in Gujarat's Surat, where federal officials intercepted a SUV in the Palsana area. The vehicle was found carrying about 35 kg of Mephedrone.
Followingthe seizure, the Narcotcis Control Bureau (NCB) arrested the alleged mastermind of this trafficking racket named Mahindra Kumar Vishnoi and three others. All four suspects are residents of Rajasthan's Jalore district.
The investigation led to officials to a "clandestine" drugs manufacturing laboratory located in Hebbal industrial area of Mysuru.
The laboratory was being operated under the guise of a chemical manufacturing unit for cleaning purposes. The facility had been rented by a co-accused and relative of Vishnoi, the NCB said in a statement.
"Drugs worth Rs 10 crore (market value), Rs 25.6 lakh in cash, an SUV and 500 kgs of chemicals used in the manufacturing of drugs have been seized during the operation," it said, adding that the lab is understood to be established in 2024.
According to the NCB, Vishnoi is a "habitual offender" who "conceived" the idea of manufacturing synthetic drugs in secret labs while he was incarcerated in a drugs trafficking case. He has three drug-related cases registered against him in Rajasthan and one in Gujarat, the NCB added.
