In the Badrinath Temple case, the investigation has been intensified. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has received an 18-page internal inquiry report from the Shri Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC). Video footage from surveillance cameras has also been found and there are more suspicious people with whom the allegations of embezzlement may be linked.
New CCTV footage from June 25 and June 29 has also revealed the presence of other suspects and led the SIT to expand its investigation and to investigate more people connected to the case, the ANI said.
CCTV Footage Recovered; Evidence Under Review
The SIT has successfully recovered complete CCTV footage from June 29 and July 2, which investigators will analyze in detail. Uttarakhand Police also had surveillance footage between June 22 and June 25.
SIT officer Mahadev Uniyal said investigators had seized the Network Video Recorder (NVR) from the CCTV control room of the temple to closely monitor the movement of donations and detect irregularities.
"We have taken into possession an NVR (Network Video Recorder) from the CCTV control room in the temple complex. It contains full CCTV footage from June 22 and June 25. We have seized this," Uniyal said.
Recovered footage will help investigators reconstruct the donation collection and counting process and identify anyone involved with the theft, he said.
Deleted Recordings Sent for Forensic Recovery
And there are signs that some important surveillance recordings may have been tampered with or deliberately deleted.
According to Uniyal, the missing footage from previous cash counting sessions will now be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for digital recovery.
"Additionally, the footage related to the previous cash counting sessions that have been deleted will be sent to the FSL for recovery," he said.
The forensic examination will then be performed to determine if the recordings were intentionally deleted and if they are evidence that is relevant to the investigation.
More Suspects Under Investigation
The SIT has indicated that the scope of the probe is widening.
The police have so far identified a number of suspicious individuals in the CCTV footage and are now investigating their roles, he said.
When asked if more people may have been involved in the theft, Uniyal said that a deep investigation is ongoing to establish the whole chain of events.
Committee Reviews Donation Handling Process
Earlier this week, a committee on donation theft visited Badrinath Dham to examine the donation management system of the temple.
The team reviewed the whole process, from transportation of donation boxes, cash counting procedures, CCTV surveillance, deployment of staff, and the bank officials' role in the counting process.
Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Managing Director Sandeep Tiwari said the committee also looked at previous CCTV footage and verified the facts related to those already arrested.
He also said the inquiry is still in its early stages and investigators will continue recording statements from complainants, temple staff, and members of the public. Forensic experts and the cyber cell may also be available to assist the committee if necessary.
Temple Officials Questioned
Throughout the investigation, the SIT questioned Badrinath Temple Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sohan Singh Rangad and his personal assistant Atul Dimri about possible lapses in supervision and oversight.
The investigators also went inside the temple’s CCTV control room to look at the operational records and monitor how daily donations were handled.
With more suspects emerging from the recovered surveillance footage and forensic experts working to recover deleted recordings, the SIT will expand its investigation further to establish the full extent of the alleged donation theft and identify everyone involved.
