Thiruvananthapuram: Former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran on Wednesday said that he had visited the residence of Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, only to attend a function and had no involvement in any sponsorship linked to him. He also denied accepting any gifts from Potty.

Speaking to the media at his residence here, Surendran said Potty was not a criminal when he first met him. “I had met him at Sabarimala while serving as Devaswom Minister in 2016. On one occasion, while I was on my way to Sabarimala, he invited me to attend a function at his residence. I accepted the invitation and attended the function along with my convoy, including police personnel,” he said.

He added that he had conveyed the same version to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

The CPM leader explained the matter after reports emerged about Potty’s confession, allegedly revealing links with the former minister. Unnikrishnan Potty, the key accused, reportedly told the police that he met Kadakampally Surendran in 2017 and claimed he had given gifts to several politicians and Devaswom officials.

On December 29, the SIT questioned Kadakampally Surendran as part of the probe into the gold theft case.

The Sabarimala gold theft case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of several kilograms of gold from the temple’s Dwarapalaka idols and doors. Investigators found that the gold had been removed, sold, and replaced with copper plates. The revelations led to the arrest of former temple officials and businessmen, triggering political controversy and prompting court-mandated investigations to recover assets and identify all those responsible.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is also probing the case after registering an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The central agency raided over 20 locations including the headquarters of Travancore Devaswom Board on Tuesday.