Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: SIT Says Accused Secretly Held Meetings In Bengaluru, Planned More Robberies

In a major update on the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has claimed that the main accused held a secret meeting in Bengaluru to plan more large-scale robberies. These findings were presented in a report submitted to the High Court, where the SIT opposed the bail plea of one of the accused.

According to the report, the accused Pankaj Pandari, Govardhan, a gold merchant from Bellary, and Unnikrishnan Potty, who is said to have sponsored the theft had met in October 2025 to plan a massive gold robbery. The meeting reportedly took place while the High Court was still hearing the case related to the initial theft.

The SIT report suggests that the accused intended to expand their operations and planned the conspiracy in a way that would make it difficult for authorities to trace them. After the gold theft was exposed, Unnikrishnan allegedly took Potty to Bengaluru to discuss how to hide evidence and avoid detection.

Multiple Bank Accounts Connected

The SIT also stated that large sums of money were deposited in various bank accounts connected to the Sabarimala temple offerings. Investigators suspect that some of these accounts were used to conceal the stolen gold and launder the money.

The report further mentions the presence of several "mysterious accounts" that appear to be linked to the crime. Officials believe these financial transactions were part of a bigger effort to hide the scale of the theft and mislead investigators.

The SIT has described the crime as a well-organized and high-value robbery that was carefully planned in Bengaluru to avoid direct suspicion. The team argued in court that scientific tests and forensic evidence are still being analyzed to determine the full extent of the theft.

SIT Opposes Bail Plea

The SIT urged the High Court not to grant bail to the accused until all the investigation results are available. The report emphasized that releasing the accused at this stage could interfere with the investigation and allow them to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.

The case has drawn significant attention, as it involves valuable gold offerings made at the Sabarimala temple, one of Kerala's most sacred religious sites. Authorities continue to dig deeper into how the robbery was carried out and how the accused planned to hide their crimes under layers of financial transactions.