Ambaji Temple Employee Caught on Camera Stealing Money During Counting of Donations; Temple Trust Implements New SOP
The Ambaji temple has launched a new SOP for donation counting to boost transparency following a recent theft incident. The process now features over 20 CCTV cameras, staff frisking, and live public telecasts on LED screens. This comes after a theft incident in May, a video of which is going viral on social media. The trust has taken firm disciplinary action against those involved in previous security breaches.
The Shri Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devsthan Trust has introduced a rigorous standard operating procedure (SOP) for the counting of donations at the renowned Ambaji temple in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. This initiative, aimed at bolstering transparency and security, follows a viral security incident involving a theft attempt by an outsourced staff member earlier this year. The updated protocols, announced by Banaskantha collector and managing trustee Mihir Patel on Monday, Jly 13, serve to modernise the shrine’s cash management system and prevent unauthorized removal of funds.
Strengthening Security and Oversight
The revised framework introduces multiple layers of monitoring to ensure the integrity of the donation process. Central to these measures is the deployment of more than 20 high-definition CCTV cameras, which will provide comprehensive coverage of the counting area. Footage from these sessions will be archived for a period of six months for audit and review purposes. Ram Temple Donation Theft Case: SIT Names Avinash Shukla As Prime Accused.
Personnel involved in the counting process are now subject to strict physical security checks. Before entering the counting room, employees must undergo frisking with metal detectors in the presence of police officers. Furthermore, staff members are prohibited from wearing clothing featuring large pockets, and they will be thoroughly searched again upon exiting the premises after their shift concludes.
Enhancing Transparency for Devotees
To further promote public trust, the temple trust has introduced a real-time monitoring feature for the faithful. The entire donation-counting process will be telecast live on a large LED screen positioned at Chachar Chowk, a prominent courtyard within the temple complex. “The three employees were dismissed from service with immediate effect back then. Following that, a new SOP has been announced to strengthen the donation counting process,” Patel told reporters.
The May Theft Attempt Caught on Camera
The implementation of these measures follows the circulation of CCTV footage from May theft incident, which showed an outsourced employee, identified as Chirag Thakor, attempting to steal cash during the counting process. According to temple authorities, Thakor was caught when a bundle of currency amounting to INR 1 lakh fell from his pocket as he attempted to leave the room. Subsequent investigations confirmed the complicity of two other outsourced employees in the incident. Ram Temple Donation Theft Case: Akhilesh Yadav Questions SIT Probe, Uttar Pradesh Ministers Hits Back.
Temple Administrator and Additional Collector Kaushik Modi stated that the administration registered a formal complaint, leading to the immediate arrest of the three individuals and their subsequent termination from service. Temple officials clarified that the viral video, while recent in circulation, depicts an event for which legal and administrative actions were taken immediately upon discovery. The trust maintains that the new SOP is designed to ensure such breaches do not recur.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 14, 2026 03:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).