The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday arrested Pramod Nautiyal, an alleged accused in the Badrinath Temple donation theft case, from Dehradun, Uttarakhand Police said.
The accused is scheduled to be produced before the Gopeshwar court on Tuesday for further legal proceedings, reported ANI.
SIT tracks down accused after surveillance operation
According to Uttarakhand Police, multiple teams were formed to trace Nautiyal, who was located in Dehradun.
Following this, an SIT team was sent to the spot and, after around an hour of questioning, arrested him between 9.45 pm and 10.15 pm on Sunday (July 12).
The SIT will seek his police custody, officials said.
CCTV footage allegedly shows suspicious activity
The case relates to alleged theft and irregularities involving donations at the Badrinath Temple, one of the country’s most revered shrines.
Following reports of discrepancies in donation handling, state authorities formed an SIT to conduct a detailed investigation and identify those involved.
Earlier, Uttarakhand Police claimed that CCTV footage showed suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Nautiyal allegedly “suspiciously hiding or stealing” cash, gold and silver coins, Shaligram stones, and offering envelopes from the temple’s donation counting room.
According to police, Nautiyal was seen making repeated trips between the donation counting room and his office, leading investigators to suspect that the allegedly stolen items were being concealed there.
“The accused Pramod Nautiyal is seen suspiciously hiding or stealing bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes, along with gold and silver coins, Shaligram stones and envelopes of offerings estimated to contain Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000. Furthermore, while doing so, he is seen going back and forth between his office and the counting room two to three times,” Uttarakhand Police said, reported ANI.
Police added that the sequence of events was observed in CCTV footage from July 2.
Investigation began after donation counting irregularities
The investigation began after alleged irregularities were detected during the counting of cash offerings made by devotees at the Badrinath Temple on July 2.
A preliminary inquiry reportedly found that cash had been removed from the counting area in violation of established procedures.
An FIR was registered at the Badrinath Police Station following a complaint filed by BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan. His statement was recorded by the SIT.
Statements of other BKTC officials, including CCTV control officer Panwar and Harender Kothari, who was present during the donation counting process, were also recorded as part of the investigation, reported ANI.
Nautiyal challenges suspension and FIR in High Court
Meanwhile, Nautiyal has approached the Uttarakhand High Court challenging his suspension and the FIR registered against him.
The matter was heard by Justice Alok Mehra, who directed the BKTC to file its response. The next hearing is scheduled for July 16.
Multiple agencies probing temple donation case
The case is currently being investigated by the Uttarakhand Police, SIT, the BKTC departmental inquiry committee, and a high-level committee headed by the Garhwal Commissioner.
(With ANI inputs)
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