SIT has arrested the main accused Pramod Nautiyal in the case of donation theft in Badrinath Dham. A ‘Shaligram’ stone and a laptop of BKTC have been recovered from him. Nautiyal has denied all the allegations during interrogation and declared himself innocent.
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [भारत]July 13 (ANI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of donations and irregularities in the handling of donation boxes at Badrinath Dham has recovered a ‘Shaligram’ stone and a laptop issued by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) from suspended employee and prime accused Pramod Nautiyal, Uttarakhand Police said on Monday.
Nautiyal was arrested in connection with alleged misuse of temple donations. During interrogation, he denied all the allegations and repeatedly said that he had done nothing wrong. Uttarakhand Police said, “SIT has recovered a ‘Shaligram’ stone and a laptop from the accused Pramod Nautiyal, which was issued by the temple committee. During interrogation, he denied all the allegations and said that he had done nothing wrong. He repeatedly said, ‘It is not my fault, I did not do anything’.”
SIT will seek police custody
Police said no cash has been recovered from the accused so far. Nautiyal has also denied the technical evidence and CCTV footage which the SIT is examining in connection with the case. “The accused is denying the technical evidence and CCTV footage available against him. The SIT will seek his police custody to investigate the money trail and identify possible links of the accused,” the police said.
Earlier in the day, Nautiyal had pleaded innocent and claimed that he had no fault in the case. Nautiyal was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Chamoli police from his residence in Dehradun late last night. He was taken to Badrinath and will be produced in court later today.
Speaking to ANI, Nautiyal denied the allegations of misuse of temple funds. She said, “I have nothing to say. It’s not my fault.”
Giving an update on the progress of the investigation, SIT investigating officer Mahadev Uniyal confirmed that the team has made the first breakthrough in the case. “At present, he (Pramod Nautiyal) has been arrested. Further investigation is underway,” Uniyal said.
The case pertains to theft and manipulation of donations at the Badrinath temple, one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in the country. Following reports of the theft, the state authorities had formed a special investigation team to identify the culprits behind the crime and conduct a thorough investigation.
CCTV footage revealed
Uttarakhand Police claimed that CCTV footage showed Nautiyal “suspiciously hiding or stealing” cash, gold and silver coins, Shaligram stones and offering envelopes from the donation counting room of the temple.
According to Uttarakhand Police, the alleged accused was seen making repeated rounds between the donation counting room and his office, leading investigators to suspect that stolen items were being hidden there. Uttarakhand Police said, “Accused Pramod Nautiyal was seen suspiciously hiding or stealing bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes, gold and silver coins, Shaligram stones and offering envelopes, containing an estimated Rs 10 to 12 thousand. Moreover, while doing so, he was seen moving back and forth between his office and the counting room two to three times. Police suspect that the counting room After stealing money, gold and silver coins etc., he kept them in his office. This sequence of events was seen in the CCTV footage of July 2.”
The investigation stems from alleged irregularities found during the counting of cash offerings made by devotees at the Badrinath temple on July 2. A preliminary investigation reportedly found that cash was removed from the counting area in violation of established procedures.
Case background and legal proceedings
The FIR in the matter was lodged at Badrinath police station following the complaint of BKTC in-charge temple officer Yudhveer Pushpwan, whose statement was also recorded by the SIT. Statements of other BKTC officials were also recorded as part of the investigation, including CCTV control officer Panwar and Harendra Kothari, who were present during the counting of donations.
Meanwhile, Nautiyal has moved the Uttarakhand High Court challenging his suspension and the FIR registered against him. The case was heard by Justice Alok Mehra, who directed BKTC to file its reply. The next hearing is to be held on July 16.
The case is currently being investigated jointly by the police, SIT, departmental investigation committee of BKTC and a high-level committee headed by the Garhwal Commissioner. (ANI)
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