Puri: In a major crackdown on fraudulent activities around the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri Police have arrested 11 fake “Yatri Gumastas” (middlemen) over the past five days for allegedly extorting money from devotees on the pretext of facilitating special darshan of Lord Jagannath.
The operation was launched by the Singhadwar Police Station following complaints that certain individuals were forcibly collecting money from pilgrims and devotees near the temple premises while promising special or quicker access to darshan. Police said the drive was aimed at ensuring a hassle-free pilgrimage experience and curbing the activities of unauthorized middlemen operating around the shrine.
According to police, five accused were arrested during a raid conducted on Thursday, while three others were apprehended on June 19. The remaining arrests were made during the ongoing operation carried out over the last five days.
The accused allegedly lured devotees with false assurances of arranging special darshan inside the temple and then extorted money from them. During the raids, police seized Rs 2,620 in cash, believed to have been collected from devotees, along with three mobile phones and other materials.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Shankar Biswal, Arun Patra, Bhimasen Patra, Babuni Mahapatra, Sarbeswar Rout, Ranjit Samantaray, Bikram Pradhan, Ajay Kumar Jena and Umakant Padhi, among others.
Addressing a press conference, Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said complaints regarding the activities of middlemen had been received at Singhadwar Police Station and through the City DSP.
“Based on the complaints, police personnel were deployed in civil dress around the temple to identify the accused. CCTV footage was also examined, leading to the registration of cases on June 18 and June 19 and the subsequent arrests,” Singh said.
The SP emphasized that darshan at the Shree Jagannath Temple is completely free and urged devotees not to pay money to anyone claiming to facilitate entry or special darshan.
Police said the special operation will continue and warned that strict action would be taken against those attempting to exploit devotees through fraudulent means.
