Suspended Badrinath Temple staff arrested in donation theft

A suspended temple employee has been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the revered Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand. Pramod Nautiyal, who served as personal assistant to the chairperson of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), was arrested from his residence in Dehradun on the night of July 12 and taken to Badrinath for questioning, police said on July 13.

The arrest follows an internal inquiry by the temple committee and a police investigation triggered by allegations of irregularities during the counting of donations on July 2. A four-member BKTC inquiry committee found the allegations against Nautiyal to be prima facie true, leading to his suspension and the filing of a police complaint. The committee's preliminary investigation concluded that temple funds were illegally removed from the donation counting centre between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on that date.

Police have cited CCTV footage as key evidence, alleging it shows Nautiyal suspiciously concealing or stealing bundles of cash, gold and silver coins, shaligram stones, and offering envelopes from the donation counting room. Officials stated the footage shows him making several trips...