Badrinath donation theft: SIT records statements, awaits BKTC report

The SIT has recorded statements of five witnesses in the Badrinath Temple donation theft case. The BKTC will submit bank records, and CCTV footage allegedly shows the accused employee suspiciously collecting cash from the donation counting room.

SIT Records Witness Statements

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday recorded statements of five witnesses in connection with the alleged Badrinath Temple donation theft case, while the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) will submit bank records of the last three years, Uttarakhand Police said.

The police said CCTV footage from July 2 has been recovered during the investigation, in which the accused is allegedly seen collecting cash suspiciously from the donation counting room. Speaking to ANI, SP Chamoli Surjit Singh Panwar said that the SIT has recorded the statements of the available witnesses and is waiting got the official internal enquiry report of the BKTC. He added that further action will be taken after the collection of evidence. "We are currently investigating on the basis of the complaint given by the BKTC, we have recorded the statements of some of the available prime witnesses in the case. We are waiting for the official internal enquiry report of the BKTC. The statement of the other witnesses will be recorded soon. The process of analysing the CCTV footage and collecting the evidence is underway. After the due collection of evidence, we will proceed with further action against the accused," he said.

CCTV Footage Shows Suspicious Activity

Earlier, the Uttarakhand Police claimed that CCTV footage showed the alleged accused, suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal, "suspiciously hiding or stealing" cash, gold and silver coins, shaligram stones and offering envelopes from the temple's donation counting room.

According to Uttarakhand Police, the alleged accused was seen making repeated trips between the donation counting room and his office, leading investigators to suspect that the stolen items were being concealed there. "The accused Pramod Nautiyal is seen suspiciously hiding or stealing bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 100 notes, along with gold and silver coins, shaligram stones, and envelopes of offerings estimated to contain Rs 10 to 12 thousand rupees. Furthermore, while doing so, he is seen going back and forth between his office and the counting room two to three times. The police suspect that after stealing money, gold and silver coins, etc., from the counting room, he would store them in his office. This sequence of events was observed in the CCTV footage from July 2," Uttarakhand Police said.

The investigation stems from alleged irregularities detected during the counting of cash offerings made by devotees at the Badrinath temple on July 2. A preliminary inquiry allegedly found that cash was removed from the counting area in violation of established procedures. The FIR in the case was registered at Badrinath Police Station following a complaint by BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan, whose statement was also recorded by the SIT. Statements of other BKTC officials, including CCTV control officer Panwar and Harender Kothari, who was present during the counting of donations, were also recorded as part of the investigation.

Legal Challenge and Parallel Probes

Meanwhile, Nautiyal moved the Uttarakhand High Court challenging his suspension and the FIR lodged against him. The matter was heard by Justice Alok Mehra, who directed the BKTC to file its response. The next hearing is scheduled for July 16.

The case is currently being investigated simultaneously by the police, SIT, the BKTC's departmental inquiry committee, and a high-level committee headed by the Garhwal Commissioner. (ANI)

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