The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged offering theft at Badrinath Dham is now awaiting the recovery of data from the temple’s CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR), which has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Dehradun, for examination.
At the same time, attention is focused on the report of the three-member inquiry committee headed by Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop. As part of the ongoing probe, the Commissioner has summoned two accountants of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) and personnel associated with the Tosakhana (treasury) for questioning.
During police remand, the main accused, Personal Assistant Pramod Nautiyal, reportedly confessed before the SIT to his involvement in the alleged theft of donations and offerings. Investigators are now scrutinising his bank accounts as well as records related to land purchases and property transactions.
Chamoli SP Surjit Singh Panwar said the investigation has revealed the suspected involvement of other BKTC employees in the case. He added that more details are expected to emerge as the probe progresses.
Police have already verified the temple treasury against the donation records for the current year and are now examining financial documents from previous years to identify any discrepancies. The SP also expressed hope that the DVR data would be recovered soon.
According to officials, BKTC has provided the SIT with 13 days of CCTV footage, while the remaining 32 days of footage are missing. The temple committee had initially claimed that 45 days of footage had been safely preserved but later stated that a technical issue led to the loss of the remaining recordings.
VIP Protocol Irregularities Under Scanner
The inquiry committee headed by Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop has also recorded statements from the officiating temple officer and three personnel associated with the VIP protocol section.
According to sources, all three officials held Pramod Nautiyal responsible for alleged irregularities in the VIP protocol system. They reportedly stated that VIP and VVIP protocols were approved under Nautiyal’s signatures and that protocol-related fees were collected based on his instructions.
The Commissioner has now called two BKTC accountants and officials connected with the Tosakhana, where offerings such as prasad, sandalwood, saffron, donated clothes, and other religious items are stored. Donated garments are later distributed to devotees as prasad at nominal rates.
