Banker held for stealing almost Rs 10 lakh from Vrindavan temple donation boxes
Mathura, Apr 6 (PTI): A Canara Bank officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing nearly Rs 10 lakh from the donation boxes of the Thakur Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan here, police on Sunday said.
The theft was uncovered after temple security monitoring CCTV footage observed the officer concealing bundles of cash in his clothing.
Police Circle Officer (Sadar) Sandeep Kumar said, "One Abhinav Saxena, son of Saket Saxena and a resident of Rampur, UP, currently residing in Mathura, was caught red-handed during the monthly counting of donations from 16 collection boxes on Saturday."
Monitoring CCTVs, the temple security noticed Saxena, an official from the Canara Bank Mathura branch, concealing bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 200 notes in his pants.
When the alleged theft was spotted, temple authorities alerted the police, who frisked Saxena in front of witnesses and found on him Rs 1,28,600.
During interrogation, Saxena confessed to stealing over the previous two days an additional Rs 8,55,300, which was later recovered from his house in Ashoka City, Mathura.
"A case of theft and breach of trust has been registered based on a complaint filed by temple manager Munish Kumar Sharma. Saxena was arrested and presented before a magistrate, and has been sent to judicial custody in the district jail on Sunday," said the officer.
The bank's Vrindavan branch manager, Mohit Kumar, confirmed that Saxena, who had been transferred to the Mathura loan department after serving in the Vrindavan branch from 2020 to 2024, has been suspended with immediate effect.
The bank has also initiated its own internal investigation into the matter.
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AIADMK, BJP join hands for 2026 TN polls: EPS to lead charge, says Amit Shah
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Chennai (PTI): The BJP and AIADMK on Friday sealed a poll alliance, with Union Minister Amit Shah declaring that the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election will be fought under the leadership of AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
With the parties rekindling their alliance nearly two years after they parted ways, Shah said it will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership at the Centre and Palaniswami at the state level.
"AIADMK and BJP have decided to fight next (year's) polls...from 1998, AIADMK has been part of BJP alliance (at different points of time). PM Modi and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had worked for Centre-state ties," Shah told a press conference, flanked by Palaniswami and outgoing BJP TN chief K Annamalai, here.
"We will form a government together led by Edappadi Palaniswami," he said, indicating it would be a coalition government should the NDA win.
He exuded confidence that the NDA will get a solid mandate and form a government.
On AIADMK's divergent stand on certain issues, Shah said will sit and discuss. There will be a Common Minimum Programme if required.
He also slammed the ruling DMK in the state, alleging it was raking up issues like Sanatan Dharma, 3-language policy and delimitation with the sole intention to take attention away from key issues.
People were demanding answers from the ruling dispensation over a number of 'scams,' and they would vote on genuine issues, Shah said.
