Kerala: Court grants bail to Unnikrishnan, main accused in Sabarimala Temple gold loot case

Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala Temple gold robbery case, has been granted statutory bail by the Kollam Vigilance Court in a case related to the alleged replacement and theft of ‘dwarapalaka (guardians)’ gold plates. The court granted the default bail as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file the charge sheet even after the mandatory 90-day period after his arrest.

The bail order has come after the main accused had moved the court, citing the SIT’s inability to submit the final report within the stipulated timeframe. The court has granted bail solely on statutory grounds rather than on the merits of the case.

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However, Unnikrishnan Potti will continue to remain in jail in connection with the ‘kattilapala (panel)’ gold theft case. He can only be released from custody if he is granted bail in the Gold Door Frame case.

On the procedural lapse in the case, Congress MP KC Venugopal claimed that the LDF government was pressuring the Special Investigation Team to slow down the investigation in the case.

ED raids multiple locations as part of probe

Earlier today, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid at the premises linked to the main accused in Bengaluru. The ED team was also seen at his residence near Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Enforcement Directorate is at the residence of first accused Unnikrishnan Potty near Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram district. ED officials are waiting outside the house, which remains locked pic.twitter.com/BqgLejitZS

— IANS (@ians_india) January 20, 2026

Also, ED officials raided the residence of KS Byju, an accused in the gold theft case, at his flat located in Pangappara. The raid was carried out as part of the ongoing investigation into the case. ED also conducted raids at Roddam Jewellery Shop in Ballari after its owner, Govardhan, was jailed by Kerala SIT for buying 470 grams of the stolen gold.

Overall, raids were conducted at 21 locations across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu by the Enforcement Directorate today in connection with the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.

#WATCH | Kottayam: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at 21 locations across the state in connection with the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.

Visuals from the residence of the former administrative officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), Murari… pic.twitter.com/NvTnBI1Frd

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2026