Thiruvananthapuram | The SIT has told a Vigilance Court that Pankaj Bhandari of Smart Creations and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam played a central role in a conspiracy to steal gold from artefacts of the Sabarimala temple.

The SIT probing the Sabarimala gold missing case on Friday arrested both Bhandari and Roddam.

In a remand report filed before the Vigilance Court in Kollam on December 19, the SIT said custodial interrogation of the accused revealed that Bhandari and Roddam, along with first accused Unnikrishnan Potty, planned the theft of gold that was entrusted to them for electroplating work.

According to the report, gold was detached from copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and other artefacts during electroplating carried out in 2019. The accused were fully aware that the gold belonged to the Sabarimala temple, the Special Investigation Team said.

The SIT added that those involved in the crime were persons entrusted with protecting the temple’s valuables but instead misused their position to steal them.

The SIT highlighted Bhandari's close association with the temple.

It said he had been involved in sponsorship-related work for Sabarimala prior to 2019, had visited the shrine several times, and was aware of the gold offerings made by the UB Group.

The report also said Bhandari had direct links with the Travancore Devaswom Board and its officials.

Despite this knowledge, the report said, Bhandari and Roddam committed a serious offence by removing gold from the temple artefacts and diverting it along with other accused.