Varanasi: Five people were arrested by Chowk police near Gate No. 4 of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple for allegedly taking money from devotees by promising quick or “sugam” darshan during the Shrawan rush.According to police, complaints had been received that some people posing as priests were active between Godowlia, Chowk and Maidagin, misleading devotees and collecting money in the name of arranging VIP or easy darshan. After examining CCTV footage and deploying personnel in plain clothes, police identified suspicious activity near the temple gate and detained the accused.Police said the accused were allegedly roaming around in priest-like attire and convincing pilgrims that they could arrange faster entry for darshan. After taking money, they allegedly misled devotees with different excuses.The arrested accused were identified as Lal Babu Pandey, 35; Ashish Pandey, 24; Dilip Pandey, 44; Yash Dubey, 20; and Sushil Kumar Das, 21.Lal Babu Pandey is a resident of Piparpati in Deoria, Ashish Pandey is from Lahartara Nai Basti in Varanasi, and Dilip Pandey is from Sujabad Nai Basti, Padao. Yash Dubey is from Bharat Colony, Ranjhi, Jabalpur, in Madhya Pradesh, while Sushil Kumar Das is from the Behera police station area of Darbhanga district in Bihar.Chowk inspector Dilip Kumar Mishra said the accused were collecting money from devotees by assuring them of quick darshan. Action was taken based on complaints, CCTV footage and informer input. Police arrested them under Section 170 of the BNSS and initiated legal proceedings.Police are also probing whether any local pandas, temple guards or staff members were involved in the alleged racket. Further questioning is underway to identify others linked to the group.
