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Badrinath Donation Row : Security Guard Arrested In Connection With Alleged Financial Irregularities; Third Arrest In The Case So Far
According to the Chamoli police, CCTV footage from the temple’s counting centre recorded on June 25 and June 29 allegedly showed the accused repeatedly taking articles from the donation offerings and concealing them in his pockets.
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The police have arrested a security guard of a private hydropower project in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath in connection with the alleged financial irregularities involving donations and offerings at the Badrinath temple, officials said.
Valuable metal items and other articles believed to have been taken from the temple offerings were recovered from the accused’s residence, police said.
The arrest is the third in the case, which came to light last month.
According to the Chamoli police, CCTV footage from the temple’s counting centre recorded on June 25 and June 29 allegedly showed the accused repeatedly taking articles from the donation offerings and concealing them in his pockets.
The accused was identified as Manoj Kumar, a resident of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the case.
The police said Kumar was employed as a security guard at the barrage of Jaiprakash Power Ventures Limited’s hydropower project at Lambagad near Joshimath. He was frequently deputed to the Badrinath temple to facilitate VIP visits by company officials, their relatives and guests.
The case was registered on July 8 based on a complaint lodged by BKTC official Yudhveer Pushpwan alleging financial irregularities in the handling of donations and offerings at the temple.