A special investigation team (SIT) of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli police on Friday arrested a retired employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) for allegedly stealing cash from the shrine’s donation room.
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Police said CCTV footage captured him pocketing money on three occasions before his retirement on June 30.
“We have found the involvement of former temple officer Rajendra Chauhan in the Badrinath temple donation theft case. He was found pocketing cash on three occasions on June 22, 25 and 29 in the CCTV footage examined by us. He retired on June 30,” Station House Officer (SHO) of the Badrinath police station Mahadev Uniyal said.
SHO Uniyal said they arrested Chauhan on Friday afternoon and will produce him before a court on Saturday.
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Police have arrested suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal, who was serving as a personal assistant in the office of the BKTC chairman, in connection with the case.
“Primary evidence suggests that the two accused conspired in the case. However, we will interrogate him further to ascertain the full extent of his role,” the SHO said.
He added that the police will approach the sessions court on Saturday to seek police custody of Nautiyal, who was arrested on Sunday and subsequently sent to 14-day judicial custody.
“We examined footage covering four donation counting days — June 22, June 25, June 29 and July 2. The accused (Nautiyal) was seen stealing money on all four occasions,” Uniyal said.
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Nautiyal used to handle VIP protocol and supervise donation counting at the Badrinath temple. According to the BKTC, he joined the committee in 2003 and was regularised in 2014.
The police have so far not recovered any stolen cash, gold or silver coins, except for a Shaligram stone. “During questioning, he is not admitting to the crime and is evading our questions,” Uniyal said.
The treasurer in charge of the Badrinath temple donation counting centre, Sandish Mehta, was shifted out on Wednesday. BKTC chief executive officer Sohan Singh Rangar said no irregularity was found on Mehta’s part, but he was replaced because of “certain deficiencies” in the donation weighing process. Kedar Singh Rawat, an employee attached to the puja office, has now been assigned the responsibility.
The alleged donation theft is being investigated on multiple fronts. A four-member internal committee constituted by the BKTC has submitted its preliminary report to the committee chairman. Separately, a police SIT is probing the case, while a high-level committee constituted by the Uttarakhand government is conducting an independent inquiry.
