Gold Theft, Commission Racket Suspected In Bengaluru’s Dharmaraya Swamy Temple, Six Under Scanner

Last Updated:February 03, 2026, 15:37 IST

Ex-president of the temple administrative committee accused officials of stealing gold ornaments donated by devotees and demanding hefty commissions from contractors

Serious allegations of corruption and theft have been levelled against senior officials of the Muzrai department. (X)

Serious allegations of corruption and theft have been levelled against senior officials of the Muzrai department in connection with the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple and the Bengaluru Karaga festival.

Former president of the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple Administrative Committee, Satish, accused officials of stealing gold ornaments donated by devotees and demanding hefty commissions from contractors.

According to Satish, RTI documents and CCTV footage show that a 63-gram gold necklace went missing during hundi counting and was allegedly taken away by executive officer Nagaraj without following any legal procedure. He said the hundi originally contained 122 grams of gold, but only 68 grams were returned.

Satish also alleged that five Muzrai officials, acting as a group, demanded a 20 per cent commission—Rs 2 lakh for every Rs 10 lakh—from contractors involved in flower decoration, lighting, and other Karaga festival arrangements.

He accused the officials of manipulating bills and violating temple laws, which prohibit temple property from being removed without due process.

The officials named include Executive Officers Nagaraj and Naveen, Tahsildar Aravind Babu, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Jagadish, and Assistant Commissioner Purushottam.

Reacting to the alleged necklace theft at the Dharmaraya temple, minister Ramalinga Reddy said he learnt of the issue after former temple president Satish held a press conference and the information was shared with him. Reddy said he immediately brought the matter to the notice of the commissioner.

The minister said the necklace had gone missing and was later allegedly placed back into the hundi, and that a video related to the incident had also surfaced.

He said questions remain about how the chain went missing and how it reappeared in the hundi, and added that he has directed officials to take action against whoever is found responsible.

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