Nagpur: Beltarodi Police have arrested three members of a gang allegedly posing as authorised representatives of the Jamsawali Hanuman temple and fraudulently collecting donations and subscriptions from citizens in the temple’s name. The accused allegedly misused the temple trust’s identity to deceive devotees and extort money. All three are currently in police custody.
The arrested accused have been identified as Krishna Senaji Walke (35), a resident of Mohpa in Kalmeshwar taluka; Raja Gangadhar Kale (22), currently residing at Babulkheda in Nagpur; and Vishal Keshav Walke (19), a resident of Tarabori on Katol Road in Katol taluka.
According to police, the incident took place at around 9 am on Sunday, when the trio visited the residence of Rajendra Kisanrao Sangam (50), a civil contractor living at Safalya Apartment in Beltarodi. Claiming to be authorised representatives of the famous Jamsawali temple, they sought donations and contributions for the temple’s Mahaprasad and other religious activities.
However, Sangam became suspicious of their claims and questioned them further. Sensing something was amiss, he immediately informed Beltarodi Police Station in-charge Ritesh Aher.
Acting swiftly on the information, police reached the spot and detained all three suspects. Receipt books found in their possession were seized and examined.
During the investigation, police contacted the Secretary of the Jamsawali Temple Trust, who confirmed that none of the three accused had been authorised or appointed by the trust to collect donations or subscriptions on its behalf.
Preliminary investigation further revealed that the accused had been misleading people by falsely using the temple’s name. Police suspect that the gang may have collected lakhs of rupees from unsuspecting citizens through the fraudulent scheme.
A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are now investigating whether the trio carried out similar frauds in other parts of Nagpur or elsewhere.
The investigation is ongoing.
