Kolar: A temple employee was caught allegedly stealing cash from the donation box during the counting of offerings at the famous Bangara Tirupati Sri Netra Venkataramana Swamy Temple in Bangarapet taluk of Kolar district on Wednesday, July 15.
The accused has been identified as HR Manjunath and a case has been registered at Bethamangala Police Station.
The incident occurred while the temple’s hundi collections were being counted in the presence of Muzrai Tahsildar Srinivasa Reddy and officials from the Revenue and Muzrai Department. According to officials, Manjunath allegedly pocketed Rs 3,100 without the knowledge of others involved in the counting process.
His act was captured on the temple’s closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, following which officials immediately intervened and recovered the stolen cash from his possession. Legal action has been initiated against the accused.
Meanwhile, the hundi counting revealed that devotees had offered generous donations. The main hundi collected Rs 13 lakh, while the Annadanam hundi received Rs 53,000 in cash, temple executive officer Manjunath said.
