Bengaluru jeweller denies role in Sabarimala gold scam, says only donated gold-plated door

Bengaluru: Govardhan, the Bengaluru-based jeweller under investigation in the Sabarimala gold scam, told Manorama News that he had no role in the gold scam and claimed he had only funded the new golden door of the temple and offered it as a donation.

He said it was Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the case, who approached him in 2019 with the proposal to sponsor the gold-clad door for the hill shrine. The entire work, he added, was completed in Ballari, Karnataka, before being transported to Sabarimala.

“The door was also displayed for the public before being offered at the temple,” Govardhan said.

“I’ve been a regular visitor to Sabarimala for the past 35 years and have often made donations to the temple. In 2019, I got the opportunity to sponsor the new gold door as the old one was in poor condition. The temple officials and tantris wanted to replace it after snakes began entering the sanctum sanctorum. It was Unnikrishnan Potty who approached me with the offer. I contributed the entire amount for the work,” he said.

He said wood for the door was sourced from Kerala, while the framing was done at the Sreerampura Ayyappa temple.

“Later, it was covered with copper and gold plates. After the completion, we displayed it publicly in Ballari, where around 800–2,000 devotees came for darshan. Later, my family and I reached the temple and donated the door as an offering to Lord Ayyappa after a special puja,” he added.

On Saturday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) raided Govardhan’s jewellery store, Roddam, in Ballari and seized around 400 gm of gold. It is suspected that this was stolen from the cladding of the Dwarapalaka idols. According to SIT sources, Potty confessed to selling the extracted gold to Govardhan.

However, Govardhan denied any knowledge of the missing gold from the idol coverings and asserted his cooperation with the probe.

“I have already given my statement to the SIT. They have summoned me for questioning in Thiruvananthapuram. I am fully cooperating with the investigation. All documents related to my donations have been submitted to the team. I cannot disclose more details as the probe is ongoing,” he told Manorama News.