Kochi, 26 December (HS): The demand for a CBI probe into the theft of gold-plated panels from the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala and antique idols from various temples across Kerala has grown louder.

Photographs featuring Unnikrishnan Potti, a wheeler-dealer based in Sabarimala, and Sonia Gandhi, former president of the Congress party, have gone viral, shocking the Hindu community across the State. They harbour doubts about those involved in the thefts.

'The photographs featuring Potti and Sonia Gandhi are shocking. An ordinary crook like Potti tying a talisman on Gandhi’s hand, and the latter posing for pictures with Potti, his spouse, and Congress MPs Anto Antony and Suresh Kodikkunnel, is alarming. This indicates that the Sabarimala thefts are linked to a widespread network of criminals and swindlers. Both Congress and the CPI(M) are implicated,” said Harikiran Murali, a lawyer practising before the Kerala High Court.

He stated that the High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team of the Kerala Police is under immense pressure from the Home Department not to pursue the case, to shield those in high places from justice. “The pictures featuring Sonia Gandhi and Potti are proof of the Congress-led UDF’s involvement in the crime at Sabarimala,” added Harikiran Murali, who has gained recognition as a criminal lawyer.

The close association between Potti, a prominent dealer, and Sonia Gandhi has raised numerous questions about the disappearance of antique idols from Kerala’s temples. A statue of Lord Shiva, crafted from emerald and dating back over 500 years, which vanished from the Kalady temple in 2007, continues to haunt devotees. The rare idol, valued at thousands of crores of rupees, went missing one morning, and since then, no further information has emerged. Reports suggest the idol travelled all the way to Orbassano, a small town in Italy, where a shop called Etnica, reportedly owned by a relative of a powerful Indian politician, is located. The shop is linked to money laundering and arms trading. Vaiju Naravane, an Indian journalist based in Paris, visited Orbassano, interviewed the shop’s management, and was astounded by the stockpiled materials available for sale.

The theft at Sabarimala involves collaboration between the CPI(M) and the Congress, with senior leaders playing a significant role in the operation.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti