DEHRADUN: Rudraprayag Police have arrested a man for allegedly cheating pilgrims at Kedarnath by promising them “VIP darshan”, as authorities step up vigilance amid the ongoing Char Dham Yatra rush.
The accused, identified as Chirag, son of Chunni Lal, a resident of Batl village in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, was taken into custody from the Kedarnath temple premises on Monday, police said.
According to officials, the Kedarnath police post received information that Chirag, allegedly in connivance with a local resident and a hotel owner, was luring devotees with the false promise of arranging priority access for darshan.
“Ten pilgrims were cheated of Rs 3,000 each on the assurance of VIP darshan. A total of Rs 30,000 was collected fraudulently,” a police official said.
Speaking to TNIE, Superintendent of Police Neeharika Tomar said, "Acting swiftly on the complaint, a police team detained the accused in the shrine area and recovered ₹5,000 in cash from his possession. During questioning, Chirag allegedly admitted that he had been carrying out the fraud with the help of a local person."
A case has been registered at Sonprayag police station under Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 317(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused was produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody at Chamoli district jail.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify and arrest others involved in the racket.
“Strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt pilgrimage arrangements or exploit devotees,” Neeharika Tomar, Superintendent of Police, Rudraprayag, told TNIE, urging pilgrims to use only official channels for darshan, accommodation, and travel-related services.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in pilgrim footfall across Uttarakhand’s Char Dham circuit, where fraudsters have also been reported targeting devotees through fake helicopter tickets and travel packages.
According to the Uttarakhand Tourism Department’s Yatra division, over 33.45 lakh devotees had visited the four shrines and Hemkund Sahib till Tuesday evening. Around 48.68 lakh pilgrims have registered for this year’s pilgrimage, which began on April 19 and will continue till November 13.