First Arrest Made In Badrinath Temple Donation Theft Case As SIT Arrests Suspended BKTC Employee

Police claim CCTV footage shows the BKTC employee allegedly removing cash, gold and silver coins from the donation counting room.

SIT has arrested a suspended BKTC employee in connection with Badrinath Temple donation theft case.

Source : PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• SIT arrested suspended employee for Badrinath Temple donation theft.
• CCTV footage shows him allegedly stealing cash and valuables.
• Nautiyal challenged arrest; multiple probes continue into alleged theft.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday arrested suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the Badrinath Temple. He will be produced before a court in Gopeshwar as the SIT seeks his custody.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Pramod Nautiyal from Dehradun after multiple teams were deployed to trace him, Uttarakhand Police said.

According to the police, an SIT team questioned Nautiyal for nearly an hour before arresting him between 9.45 pm and 10.15 pm on Sunday. He is scheduled to be produced before the Gopeshwar court on Monday, where the SIT will seek his police custody, ANI reported.

CCTV Footage Under Scanner

The investigation was launched after alleged irregularities were detected during the counting of devotees' offerings at the Badrinath Temple on July 2.

According to Uttarakhand Police, CCTV footage allegedly shows Nautiyal "suspiciously hiding or stealing" bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes, gold and silver coins, shaligram stones and offering envelopes estimated to contain cash.

Investigators also claimed he was seen making repeated trips between the donation counting room and his office, leading them to suspect that the stolen valuables were concealed there, the ANI report said.

Probe Underway On Multiple Fronts

The FIR was registered at the Badrinath Police Station on the complaint of BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan. Statements of other BKTC officials, including the CCTV control officer and personnel present during the counting of donations, have also been recorded.

Meanwhile, Nautiyal has moved the Uttarakhand High Court challenging his suspension and the FIR lodged against him. The court has directed the BKTC to file its response, and the matter is scheduled for hearing on July 16.

The alleged donation theft is being investigated simultaneously by the state police, the SIT, the BKTC's departmental inquiry committee and a high-level committee headed by the Garhwal Commissioner.