Sabotage alleged in Potty’s complaint against Kadakampally; shift to SIT halts preliminary inquiry

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A move has been made to stall the investigation into a complaint filed by Unnikrishnan Potty, an accused in the Sabarimala gold robbery case. Potty alleges that former minister Kadakampally Surendran conspired with a Kazhakoottam resident named Prathibha to implicate him in a land deal case and ensure his return to jail.

Although the DGP initially directed the Thiruvananthapuram Commissioner to conduct a preliminary investigation, the process was later diverted and the complaint was handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) currently investigating the gold robbery. This transfer has effectively brought the inquiry to a standstill because, as per High Court orders, the SIT lacks the jurisdiction to investigate unrelated land transactions or conspiracy cases. The SIT has since maintained that it cannot legally act on Potty’s specific allegations.

In his complaint, Potty claims that Prathibha’s legal actions regarding a land transaction were orchestrated specifically to facilitate this conspiracy. In response, Kadakampally Surendran has dismissed the allegations, stating that he is only acquainted with MLA Prathibha and has no knowledge of the individual mentioned in the complaint.

Potty's complaint is as follows:

"In 2017, I legally purchased 10 cents of land from Prathibha. Although I attempted to sell the property in 2019, the deal did not materialise. At that time, Prathibha had accumulated a debt of three crore rupees. When her creditors gathered at her house and created a disturbance, a mediation session was held at the Thumba police station, led by Kadakampally Surendran. During this meeting, Kadakampally pressured me to provide financial assistance to Prathibha, which I refused.

In 2024, I sold the land to a third party. Following the SIT’s questioning of Kadakampally regarding the Sabarimala case, a complaint was filed against me. I believe Kadakampally is personally motivated to implicate me in this matter to divert public attention and defend himself against the sensational allegations involving the gold theft case. He has conspired with Prathibha to exert pressure on me and fabricate false allegations."