Uttarakhand temple official arrested for stealing donations at Badrinath
An official from the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating donations from the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand, police said on Monday.
The accused, Pramod Nautiyal, was taken into custody late Sunday from his residence in Dehradun by a Special Investigation Team. He was produced before a court on Monday.
According to Chamoli Police, the case involves the theft of ‘thali bhent’ (plate offerings) at Badrinath Dham. On July 8, Yudhveer Pushpwan, the officer-in-charge of the Badrinath Temple, filed a written complaint on behalf of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee. The complaint alleged that financial irregularities were detected during the counting of offerings on July 2, prompting a departmental inquiry ordered by the temple committee chairman.
“The investigation further found that, at different times, the accused allegedly removed Rs 500 currency notes, packets containing gold and silver coins, a Shaligram stone, and a packet of saffron from the counting room and illegally took them into his possession,” police said in a statement. Statements of the complainant and other witnesses have been recorded. Based on CCTV footage and other documentary evidence, the police said they have gathered sufficient evidence against the accused.
An FIR was registered under sections related to theft by clerk or servant and aggravated criminal breach of trust of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita at Badrinath Police Station.
