Siddhivinayak Temple: Frauds extract hefty fee from devotees promising virtual darshan

Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust in Mumbai has filed a complaint against an app and website called 'Utsav' for cheating devotees by charging a fee for virtual darshan and puja. The police are in the process of registering a case.

MUMBAI: Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust in Dadar has lodged a complaint claiming that several devotees have been cheated by an application and a website called ‘Utsav’ created under the temple’s name. The application and website have been charging a hefty fee for virtual darshan and puja.

Siddhivinayak Temple: Frauds extract hefty fee from devotees promising virtual darshan

“After seeing the app and the website, identified as the Utsav app, we approached the Dadar police and the Mumbai crime branch’s cyber cell. The application and the website have been using photos of the Siddhivinayak Ganpati and cheating devotees claiming that they can conduct online poojas at the temple or even show online darshan,” said Aadesh Bandekar, chairman of the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust. “The temple has its own website and application, and nobody has been given any permissions for any worship,” he added.

The police said they received a complaint from the trust and are in the process of registering a case in the matter. “The application and a website called ‘Utsav’ was created and operated from Kolkata to primarily view Durga pujas in Kolkata, virtually. However, a similar app was in the news after the authorities at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri had also warned devotees of a fraud online platform,” said Rajendra Awhad, senior police inspector of Dadar police station. “The servitors said devotees should stay away from such fraudulent websites as no online booking for pujas is being entertained in the shrine through any third-party agency”.

“They also claimed apart from the online darshan during the puja the devotees will get Modak, Chundri, and a photo of Lord Ganesha in a box along with the blessings,” said the police officer.

The police said according to the complaint, the application charged around ₹21,000 for some pujas.