Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT questions Dindigal-based businessperson with alleged links to illegal antique trade

Key Points

1. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned Dindigal-based businessperson D. Mani on December 30, 2025, regarding the misappropriation of gold-plated artifacts from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.
2. The investigation was initiated based on a statement from a Non-Resident Keralite businessperson linking D. Mani to illegal trade in religious artifacts.
3. The SIT is verifying D. Mani’s antecedents, including possible links to Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the case.
4. The SIT suspects the investigation might extend into interstate rackets involving the sale of ordinary objects as rare treasures.
5. The 'rice-puller' scam, involving the use of pseudoscience to mislead buyers, is being considered in relation to the Sabarimala gold theft.