- Suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal arrested for donation theft.
- Sent to 14-day judicial custody by Gopeshwar court.
- SIT found evidence; high-level panel to begin probe.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested Pramod Nautiyal, a suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee accused of embezzling donations at the Badrinath shrine. He was apprehended from his residence in Dehradun's Nehru Colony at around 10 pm on Sunday.
Nautiyal was questioned throughout Monday at the Badrinath police station before being produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Gopeshwar in the evening. The court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. Five other employees involved in the counting of donations were also interrogated.
Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar said the SIT has recorded statements from five witnesses, including Nautiyal, and found sufficient evidence against him. Investigators have seized his laptop and also recovered a Shaligram stone from his possession.
The case surfaced after a saint alleged misappropriation of donations during the counting of offerings at the shrine on July 2. Subsequently, an embezzlement case was registered against Nautiyal at the Badrinath police station. He is accused of misappropriating donations and packets of gold and silver coins during the counting.
ALSO READ: 'Not At Fault': Arrested Accused Claims Innocence In Badrinath Temple 'Donation Theft' Case
The investigation by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has also confirmed that he had taken bundles of notes and gold and silver items out of the counting place.
Nautiyal had been absent without proper leave since the matter came to light. However, a departmental inquiry confirming the irregularities paved the way for his arrest.
Departmental Probe Report Submitted
In Rishikesh, the departmental inquiry team on Monday submitted its 18-page report to BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi.
BKTC Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad said statements from six employees were recorded during the investigation. A copy of the report has also been handed over to the SIT. Dwivedi said he would examine the findings on Tuesday before deciding on the next course of action.
High-Level Panel To Begin Probe
A three-member committee, headed by the Garhwal Commissioner, formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, will arrive in Badrinath on Tuesday and begin its investigation, the Garhwal Commissioner confirmed.
According to the preliminary inquiry, investigators reviewed witness statements and CCTV footage from June 25 and July 2. The footage allegedly shows Nautiyal leaving the counting room once on June 25 and three times on July 2. He was reportedly seen concealing bundles of Rs 500 notes beneath his mobile phone and carrying gold and silver ornaments, along with packets of saffron, in his pockets.
“The preliminary investigation examined witness statements and footage from June 25 and July 2. Pramod Nautiyal was seen leaving the counting station once on June 25 and three times on July 2, hiding bundles of five hundred rupee notes under his mobile phone and carrying gold and silver jewellery and packets of saffron in his pocket. The police will soon request the court to grant Nautiyal a remand,” said Surjit Singh Panwar, SP.