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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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
