UP: Bank Official Caught Stealing ₹9.50 Lakh From Mathura's Thakur Banke Bihari Temple Donation Box
A field officer from Canara Bank was caught stealing Rs 9.50 lakh during the counting of donation money at the revered Thakur Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura district. The theft, captured on CCTV cameras, led to the immediate arrest of the officer.
Police recovered Rs 1.25 lakh from the officer's pocket at the time of arrest, and later retrieved an additional Rs 8.21 lakh that he had stolen over the previous three days. The total recovery amounts to approximately Rs 9.50 lakh.
Abhinav Saxena, the field officer in question, was part of a team from various banks invited by the temple management to count the offerings collected in the temple's 16 donation boxes. The counting process had been ongoing for three days when temple staff monitoring CCTV footage noticed Saxena concealing currency notes in his clothes while counting.
"A temple employee who was watching the CCTV feed observed suspicious activity and immediately alerted security personnel and police officers present at the site," said Prashant Kapil, Kotwali Police Station in-charge. "When confronted, Saxena initially tried to evade questioning but later confessed to stealing money over the three-day counting period."
Police investigations revealed that Saxena had hidden the previously stolen money in his bag at the Dampier Nagar branch of Canara Bank in Mathura, where he currently works in the loan department.
Canara Bank management has suspended Saxena with immediate effect. Branch Manager Mohit confirmed that Saxena had been posted at the Vrindavan branch from 2020 to 2024 before being transferred to the loan department in Mathura.
Originally from Rampur, Saxena currently resides in Ashoka City Colony in Mathura. During questioning, Saxena told police that he was tempted by the large amount of cash. Police have filed a formal report and will present Saxena before court on Sunday, where he is expected to be sent to judicial custody.
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