Thiruvananthapuram: Unnikrishnan Potty, the accused in the Sabarimala gold smuggling case, has filed a complaint alleging a conspiracy by former Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran to falsely implicate him in a land-related dispute.

In the complaint filed at the Kazhakuttam Police Station on Wednesday, Potty claimed that a woman named Prathibha had recently approached the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold case with allegations that he had cheated her in a land transaction by purchasing property at a lower price.

Potty claimed that the complaint against him was filed as part of a conspiracy involving Kadakampally and Prathibha to harass him and divert attention from the ongoing investigation in the Sabarimala gold case. Potty said that Kadakampally, who was earlier questioned by the SIT in the Sabarimala case, has political motives and is trying to save his face.

Potty denied any wrongdoing in the land case and stated that the land purchase was carried out legally through a registered sale deed in 2017. According to him, the property, measuring 10 cents, was purchased from Prathibha for the benefit of his mother and was later rented out for running a nursery school.

He alleged that Prathibha had initially agreed to pay a monthly rent of ₹25,000 with a refundable security deposit of ₹50,000 but defaulted on the rent after two months, forcing him to issue an eviction notice. Legal proceedings followed and she later vacated the premises, he said.

Potty further stated that in 2019, he had entered into a sale agreement to sell the property after receiving an advance of ₹5 lakh from a prospective buyer, who was arranged by Prathibha. However, the sale process fell through and subsequently, the property was sold to another party in 2024.

In the complaint, Potty also claimed that Prathibha was facing severe financial difficulties and debts amounting to nearly ₹3 crore during that period. He alleged that the matter had earlier been discussed during a mediation meeting at the Thumba Police Station in the presence of Kadakampally Surendran.

Potty alleged that Kadakampally had requested him to financially assist Prathibha at the time, but he declined, citing financial constraints.

Potty requested the police to conduct a fair inquiry into the alleged conspiracy and take appropriate legal action against those responsible for what he termed as an attempt to misuse the criminal justice system.