Tamil Nadu Arulmigu Koniamman Temple Donation Scam
Chennai: After the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation scam and the Badrinath Dham temple in Uttarakhand, another donation scam has come to light, i.e., misappropriation of funds has emerged in the Arulmigu Koniamman Temple in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
The administration has suspended eight officials and staff members of the temple in Tamil Nadu on Sunday as per media reports.
The suspension of officials and staff was ordered by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Regional Joint Commissioner Ramesh Kumar.
Those arrested include four members suspected of direct theft and four other supervisory officials who have been penalised for severe administrative negligence.
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Allegation of mishandling of hundi funds initially surfaced following the temple’s scheduled counting process of 15th July. The irregularities prompted HR&CE’s Kumar to launch an investigation into the incident and identify those responsible for mishandling of funds.
The four officials who were arrested on allegations of theft execution consist of ticket collector A Balasubramaniyan (52), office assistant V Saravanan (34), cleaning staff P Pradeep Kumar (31), and temple priest S Krishnaraj (56).
As per police officials and temple authorities, the four accused segregated an unaccounted hundi from the main counting area and moved these funds to the back of the temple using a trolley. They took around Rs 31,000 and divided the money among themselves.
Following their arrest on Saturday, 25 July, by the police, the temple authorities enacted their suspension a day later.
