Karnataka : Priests’ exploits, cheated 20 crores in the name of taking donations! Fake website created noise
A shocking case of cheating in the name of religion has come to light in Karnataka. In Kalaburagi district, a group of priests allegedly created a fake website in the name of Devalagnapur temple and duped devotees of crores of rupees in donations. After the disclosure, the police registered a case but the accused could not be traced. Situated on the Gangapur river in Afzalpur taluk of northern Karnataka, this temple attracts devotees not only from Karnataka but also from neighboring states of Maharashtra and Telangana. Sri Dattatreya is the deity of the temple.
According to the police, the priests created about 8 websites with names like Dattatreya Devalaya, Gangapur Dattatreya Mandir, Sri Kshetra Dattatreya Mandir. Through these sites, fees and donations of Rs 20 crore were accepted in the last four years. This amount was sent to their personal bank accounts. He charged Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 for various pujas and other rituals.
Revealed in the audit report
According to a report published in the Indian Express, this fraud was exposed in a recent audit meeting. Sources said that a recent cyber forensic audit preliminary report suggested that around 2,000 devotees had paid money through fake websites.
The police also suspect that the priests had also withdrawn money from the donation boxes of the temple. After this incident came to light, we checked the CCTV footage. The day the money was counted from the donation boxes, the CCTV cameras were either diverted or masked. Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Yashwant Gurukar has ordered the recovery of money from the accused priests.
