PURI: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday lodged a complaint with Simhadwar police against an online platform for allegedly offering unauthorised VIP darshan services to devotees for money.
The complaint was filed after an Instagram video uploaded by the e-Odisha web portal claimed it could arrange VIP protocol darshan at the Shree Jagannath Temple on payment. The post also displayed contact telephone numbers.
The portal, under its ‘EO Jagannath Dham Sahayak Seva’ scheme, claimed it could provide khaja (dry Mahaprasad), arrange hassle-free darshan through a pilgrim liaison service and organise special arati for devotees. Police registered a case and launched an investigation.
Police said several devotees who booked hotel rooms through fake websites have been cheated after reaching Puri. Many of these fraudulent portals allegedly used the names of the SJTA-run Bhakta Nivas facilities and other hotels to dupe visitors.
Following multiple complaints during the ongoing Rath Yatra, the Cyber Safety and Response Team visited several hotels in Puri and advised them to strengthen the security of their websites to prevent hacking and misuse.
Earlier, the Odisha Crime Branch had blocked 112 websites for spreading false information related to the Rath Yatra and removed more than 150 misleading posts and rumours from social media.