Overview
- Police arrested trustee Purushottam Kadlag early Tuesday in Nashik after a sting recorded agents taking ₹3,000 from devotees for quick entry.
- Investigators say roaming agents targeted people in long queues, charged ₹3,000 to as high as ₹12,000 despite a ₹200 official pass, and often gave no receipts.
- Officers registered the case under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and secured Kadlag’s police custody until April 20.
- Police earlier arrested agent Gotiram Manaji Peher, while a second named suspect, Abhishek Kadlag, remains absconding.
- Trimbakeshwar is one of 12 Jyotirlingas that draws large crowds, a rush that police say the scheme exploited, and more arrests are expected as the probe widens.