Bhiwani: Bhiwani police have arrested a former employee of Mata Pahari temple, accusing him of systematically siphoning off cash offerings and valuables donated by devotees over several years while serving in key positions at the shrine.Investigators claim the accused, who once supervised the temple’s security personnel and later oversaw its CCTV surveillance system, exploited his access to the premises to allegedly remove cash and precious articles from the temple on multiple occasions. Police said recoveries made so far include Rs 2 lakh in cash, a 100-gram gold biscuit, gold ornaments and several silver articles collectively worth lakhs of rupees. The accused, identified as Ashish, son of Manphool and a resident of Pahari village, was arrested on June 26 following an investigation launched after a complaint alleging theft of cash and ornaments from the temple was lodged at Loharu police station. According to police, a search conducted at the accused’s residence on June 20 resulted in the seizure of a 100-gram gold biscuit, two gold bangles, a silver tumbler, two silver spoons, a silver lamp set, a silver platter, two silver plates, four silver bowls and a silver vessel. Officers said the accused was unable to produce documents to establish lawful ownership of the recovered articles, prompting their seizure as part of the investigation.Police subsequently secured a three-day custodial remand after producing the accused before a local court on June 27. During interrogation, investigators claimed to have recovered an additional Rs 2 lakh in cash along with five silver utensils allegedly linked to the temple theft. During questioning, the accused allegedly told investigators that he served as the in-charge of the temple’s security guards between 2009 and 2018 before heading its CCTV surveillance operations from 2018 to 2023.Police said he used his position to repeatedly divert cash offerings and valuable donations made by devotees, taking the items to his residence over time. Following the completion of police custody, the accused was produced before the court again on Tuesday, which remanded him to judicial custody. MSID: 132094117 413 |
