Sabarimala gold loss case: Kerala court grants bail to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty
Kollam(Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday granted bail to Bengaluru-based businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case related to the loss of gold from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames of the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala.
Potty, however, will continue to be in jail for now as he has also been arrested in the case related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols of the temple.
He was given bail in the Sreekovil door frames case by a vigilance court here.
He had sought bail on the ground that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the cases had not filed a chargesheet despite the expiry of the mandatory 90-day period stipulated under the law.
The detailed order giving the reasons and conditions for the bail is not yet available.
The SIT has so far arrested 12 people, including Potty and two former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) presidents in the two cases.
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Eyewitness alleges police pressure to stay silent in Greater Noida techie death case
Greater Noida: A 26-year-old delivery executive, one of the key eyewitnesses in the death of software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, has alleged that police officers pressured him to avoid speaking to the media and compelled him to give a statement favourable to the police version of events.
Moninder Singh told Hindustan Times on Tuesday that he was summoned to the police station days after Mehta’s death and was allegedly instructed to stay away from public view for nearly ten days. Singh claimed that during the visit, police officers took him to a park near the Knowledge Park police station, reprimanded him for interacting with the media and made him wait there for more than four hours.
According to Singh, officers dictated what he described as a “script” and recorded a fresh video statement from him. He alleged that he was asked to state that police personnel had entered the water-filled pit and made every possible effort to rescue Mehta. “I was scared and agreed at that time, but I later decided that as an eyewitness, I should stand by the truth,” Singh said, adding that his family and local residents were supporting him.
The allegations follows the 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta’s death, who drowned after his car fell into a rainwater-filled excavation pit on a vacant plot in Sector 150 early Saturday morning. The pit, reportedly dug for a building basement, was estimated to be more than 20 feet deep and possibly as deep as 50 feet. Residents and officials have said the site had no barricades, warning signs or reflective markers, raising serious questions about safety and civic oversight.
Singh, who lives in Sector 150, said he was on a delivery assignment around 1.50 am when he noticed police activity at the site. He reached the spot minutes after Mehta’s car had submerged. Singh said he entered the water wearing a life jacket and searched for nearly half an hour but could not locate Mehta.
A short video recorded by Singh at the site, showing what he alleged was a delayed and inadequate rescue effort, later circulated widely on social media and drew further scrutiny of the authorities’ response.
Responding to the allegations, a senior police officer, speaking to HT on condition of anonymity, said the police had not threatened Singh and added that if such claims had been made, they would be examined and verified.
