Kottayam: An employee of the Devaswom Board, Vishnu K Babu, has been arrested for committing fraud amounting to lakhs of rupees in various temples in Kottayam. The arrest came after it was discovered that Vishnu had tampered with the accounts of Thirupuram Sreekrishnaswami Temple in Thalayolaparambu, resulting in a loss of Rs 24.73 lakh.
Following the revelation of the fraud, Babu was suspended from his position. Subsequent investigations revealed similar irregularities in Sree Elankavu Devi Temple in Vadayar and Udayanapuram Sree Subramanya Swami Temple, where Vishnu had been employed. The Devaswom Board officials filed a complaint, leading to Babu’s arrest.
The audit department of the Devaswom Board determined that Babu had misappropriated funds between 2019 and 2022 while serving as a sub-group officer at Thirupuram Temple. He attempted to evade arrest by repaying Rs 15 lakh after the discrepancies came to light. Prior to this incident, Babu had also been suspended for fraudulent activities at Vaikom Mahadeva Temple.
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