Badrinath Dham donation theft: Prime accused arrested, money trail under scanner

Dehradun,UPDATED: Jul 13, 2026 14:57 IST

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Uttarakhand Police probing the alleged misappropriation and theft of offerings at Badrinath Dham has arrested the prime accused, Pramod Nautiyal, from Dehradun and brought him to Chamoli for further investigation.

According to officials, Nautiyal, who served as the offering and donation officer at the shrine, was taken into custody from Dehradun at around 8 pm on Sunday and transported to Badrinath by the SIT. The alleged irregularities in the temple's offerings and donations came to light after July 2, following which Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a detailed investigation.

Chamoli Police said Nautiyal was formally arrested from Dehradun in connection with the case and will be produced before the District Court in Gopeshwar on Monday. Before his court appearance, he was taken from Badrinath Police Station to the government hospital in Badrinath for a medical examination.

Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh Panwar said an FIR was registered at Badrinath Police Station on July 8 based on a complaint filed by Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee member Yudhvir Farswan. A case was registered, alleging misappropriation and theft of offerings made by devotees at Badrinath Dham.

The investigation was assigned to Badrinath Station House Officer Mahadev Uniyal, who examined CCTV footage from the offering room and other locations within the temple premises.

According to the police, the investigation revealed CCTV footage allegedly showing Nautiyal stealing offerings from the temple. Acting on the evidence, the SIT conducted a raid in Dehradun on Sunday night and arrested him.

Police said a Shaligram stone and a laptop were recovered from Nautiyal's possession during the operation. However, no cash has been recovered so far. During questioning, Nautiyal denied all allegations against him.

Officials also said that they would seek the accused's police remand to trace the money trail, recover any allegedly misappropriated funds, and examine the possible involvement of other individuals in the case.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Pramod Nautiyal triggered political reactions in Uttarakhand, with both the Congress and the BJP weighing in on the ongoing investigation.

Congress state president and former Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chief Ganesh Godiyal questioned the probe, alleging that the arrested employee was being pressured not to reveal the names of any other individuals allegedly involved in the case.

BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt described the alleged misappropriation of offerings at Badrinath Dham as a "grave sin" and asserted that the state government would not shield anyone found guilty. He said Nautiyal's arrest demonstrated that the investigation was being carried out impartially and called for strict legal action against any other individuals found to be involved during the probe.

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(With inputs from Kamalnayan Silodi.)