Himachal: 2 employees of Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust held for fraud in counting offerings

Hamirpur (HP), Oct 9 (PTI) Two employees of the Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust at Deotsidh in the Hamirpur district have been arrested for alleged fraud during the counting of offerings, police said on Thursday.

According to a complaint lodged by the temple trust at the Barsar police station, the accused employees deliberately inserted 140 notes among the Rs 100 notes of Rs 500 denomination, intending to embezzle the excess amounts later.

CCTV cameras installed in the counting room allegedly captured the entire incident, which led to the filing of the complaint by the temple trust.

A case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused, Barsar DSP Lalman Thakur said.

The arrested have been identified as Keshav Dutt (55), a resident of Hamirpur, posted as Junior Assistant Accountant and Gurchain Singh (51), a resident of Una district, who worked as an accountant at the Trust.

"Two employees were found mismanaging and stealing offerings within the Lord's abode," Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhagat Singh said, adding that the incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees from India and abroad.

When the issue came to the attention of Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Amarjeet Singh, who is also the Chairman of the temple trust, he took immediate action on Tuesday.

He instructed the filing of an FIR and the initiation of a departmental inquiry, asserting that those found guilty would be punished according to the law. PTI COR BPL SMV SMV MPL MPL