A Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating donations from the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand.
The accused, Pramod Nautiyal, was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from his Dehradun residence. Police said the action followed a complaint filed on July 8 after financial irregularities were noticed during the counting of temple offerings.
According to investigators, CCTV footage from July 2 allegedly shows the accused hiding ₹500 currency notes, packets containing gold and silver coins, a Shaligram stone, and a packet of saffron under his mobile phone and inside his pockets before taking them out of the counting room.
Police registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft by an employee and aggravated criminal breach of trust. Officials said witness statements and documentary evidence support the allegations.
The BKTC had already suspended Nautiyal and issued a show-cause notice before his arrest. The accused later approached the Uttarakhand High Court seeking relief. The court has sought instructions from the state and fixed the next hearing for July 16.