 on Monday arrested suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal){kind=link}
Pramod Nautiyal was arrested by the SIT after CCTV footage allegedly showed him stealing cash
July 13, 2026: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday arrested suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the Badrinath Temple. Uttarakhand Police said Nautiyal was traced and arrested in Dehradun after multiple search teams were deployed. He was questioned for nearly an hour before being taken into custody and will be produced before a court in Gopeshwar, where the SIT will seek his police remand.
The investigation began after alleged irregularities were detected during the counting of devotees’ offerings at the Badrinath Temple on July 2. According to police, CCTV footage allegedly shows Nautiyal hiding or stealing bundles of ₹500 and ₹100 notes, gold and silver coins, shaligram stones, and offering envelopes containing cash. Investigators also claimed the footage captured him making repeated trips between the donation counting room and his office, raising suspicion that the valuables were concealed there.
The FIR was registered at Badrinath Police Station on the complaint of BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan. Statements of several BKTC officials, including CCTV control room staff and personnel involved in counting donations, have also been recorded. Meanwhile, Nautiyal has challenged both his suspension and the FIR before the Uttarakhand High Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter on July 16. The case is being investigated by the SIT, Uttarakhand Police, the BKTC’s departmental inquiry committee, and a high-level committee headed by the Garhwal Commissioner.