Pathanamthitta: The long-missing files detailing the gold-covering works at the Sabarimala temple, sponsored by UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya in 1998, have finally been recovered from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. With this, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft has secured crucial evidence against those who recorded the gold panels as mere copper coverings.

The delay in handing over the files to the SIT had earlier sparked allegations that they were deliberately concealed to prevent the investigation from reaching higher levels of the Board.

The 420-page file was found in a room at the office of the Chief Engineer (Works Department). It contained key documents, including the High Court order granting Vijay Mallya permission to undertake the gold-covering project and details of the 22-carat gold imported from Switzerland. The file also included detailed reports of the gold-covering works carried out under the supervision of K Ravikumar, then Sabarimala Project Chief Engineer, and Assistant Engineer CR Rajasekharan Nair. After making copies, the file was handed over to the SIT.

Earlier, TDB officials had failed to submit the file despite repeated requests from both the Devaswom Vigilance and the SIT. Even inspections by the Vigilance Department to trace the documents had yielded no results.

Following a warning from the SIT about legal action over the non-submission of the file, the Chief Engineer of the Devaswom Works Department deployed staff to conduct a detailed search. The Board and its officials now claim that the file might have been misplaced during multiple office relocations.

The recovered documents contain comprehensive details of the gold used for the temple’s gold-covering works. According to the records, the UB Group used 1,564.190 gm of gold for the Dwarapalaka idols, 2,519.760 gm for the temple doors and doorframes, and 4,302.660 gm for the eight pillars and side slabs around the sanctum sanctorum. However, details of the quantity of gold used for the roof remain unconfirmed.

Earlier, the TDB had submitted details of the gold used at the temple based on information provided by the UB Group. The mahazar document — signed by the Sabarimala Development Project Engineer and Assistant Engineer after inspecting and certifying the gold covering — is among the official papers now recovered.

Remand of Unnikrishnan Potti extended
Meanwhile, the remand period of Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was extended by 14 days on Friday. The SIT has filed a production warrant seeking his custody, which the court will consider on November 3.

The court proceedings were conducted via video conferencing. The SIT will produce Potti before the court on Monday in connection with the theft of gold from the temple’s doorframes, after which his formal arrest will be recorded.

On Friday, the SIT produced the valuables seized from Potti’s residence in Bengaluru before the court.

Murari Babu, a suspended TDB official and accused in both cases, was also produced in court on Friday as his custody term had expired. Since the SIT did not seek an extension of his custody, the court remanded him to judicial custody and sent him to the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail. It is learned that a bail application for Murari Babu will be filed on Monday.