Canara Bank Officer Caught Stealing Over ₹10 Lakh from Vrindavan Temple Donation Boxes

Vrindavan, April 6, 2025 — A Canara Bank officer was arrested Saturday after being caught on CCTV allegedly stealing around ₹10 lakh from donation boxes at the revered Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.

The accused, Abhinav Saxena, a resident of Rampur currently living in Mathura, was nabbed during the monthly donation count. Footage showed him stuffing bundles of ₹500 and ₹200 notes into his clothes.

Police Circle Officer Sandeep Kumar confirmed Saxena was caught red-handed on temple premises. “He was found with ₹1,28,600 during a frisk in front of witnesses. On interrogation, he confessed to stealing ₹8,55,300 over the previous two days,” said Kumar. The stolen money was later recovered from his residence in Mathura’s Ashoka City.

A case of theft and breach of trust was registered following a complaint by temple manager Munish Kumar Sharma. Saxena was presented before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody.

Temple security raised the alarm after noticing suspicious behavior during the counting of donations from 16 collection boxes. The swift intervention of police ensured the theft was documented and contained.

Canara Bank’s Vrindavan branch manager, Mohit Kumar, stated that Saxena had been suspended immediately. The accused had previously served in the Vrindavan branch from 2020 to 2024 and was recently transferred to the Mathura loan department.