Varanasi: In a drive launched against unauthorised priests, guides and middlemen operating around Kashi Vishwanath Dham to dupe pilgrims by promising ‘Sparsh Darshan’ (touching the deity) at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, police arrested 23 offenders in Chowk and four in Dashaswamedh area on Sunday.ACP (Dashashwamedh) Atul Anjan Tripathi said that after complaints of pilgrims being duped by illegal operators and being ill-treated for refusing to take their services to avail Sparsh Darshan at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the newly inducted policemen were engaged to detect them. Policemen started following these operators, who pursued devotees from across the globe with offers of Sparsh Darshan but and fled after receiving money.The police team swung into action on Sunday morning and arrested 23 in Chowk police station areas and four in the area falling under limits of Dashashwamedh police station. Police booked them on charges including wrongful restraint and bribery.To raise awareness against these elements and their menace, police have already put up boards warning devotees about brokers, on the route from temple all the way to Nandi Chowk and Maidagin, following which, many devotees had called the number displayed on the boards to report illegal operators.Before Sunday’s action police had also arrested 26 persons in Chowk and 22 in Dashashwamedh in the past.
