Dolpa, September 23
Police have arrested one person in connection with the theft of offerings from Bala Tripura Sundari Temple in Tripura Sundari Municipality-1, Dolpa.
The offering money kept at the temple’s main worship site was stolen on Saturday. In the course of investigating the incident, police arrested 37-year-old Jayanand Upadhyay of Tripurakot, Tripura Sundari Municipality-1.
According to the District Police Office, Dolpa, Upadhyay was arrested on Tuesday from the district headquarters, Dunai. He was also taken to the Dolpa District Court on Wednesday, and a seven-day remand was obtained to begin the investigation, said Police Inspector Padam Rawal of the District Police Office, Dolpa.
The theft of Rs 55,080 in cash kept at the main worship site of Bala Tripura Sundari Temple on Saturday had come to public attention.
Money found in different locations
As the investigation continued, Rs 55,000 was found Monday evening in a Timur tree to the west of the temple. The Shree Bala Tripura Sundari Shushankadari Yogini Udyan Pith announced in a statement that this was the missing offering money, saying it was found during the search.
The recovered amount was handed over to priest Ramprasad Upadhyay by police constable Indra Bahadur GC, in charge of the temple security post.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon, it was reported that around Rs 54,000 more had been found within the temple premises. The priest stated that this amount also belonged to the temple.
The fact that money reported missing in a single theft has now turned up in two separate locations has raised further questions about the case.
Police say documentation has been prepared for both amounts, and the investigation into the unanswered questions is ongoing.
