Eight staff suspended after alleged misappropriation of Coimbatore Koniamman temple hundi funds
Eight employees and officials associated with the Arulmigu Koniamman Temple have been suspended following allegations of misappropriation of donation box (hundi) collections.
The action was ordered after an inquiry by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department into irregularities during the counting of temple donations on July 15.
Among those suspended are four temple employees accused of directly participating in the theft and four supervisory officials who were held responsible for lapses in oversight.
The disciplinary action follows the arrest of four temple staff members by the Ukkadam police on July 25. Those arrested include a ticket collector, an office assistant, a sanitation worker and a temple priest.
According to investigators, the accused allegedly removed an unchecked hundi from the counting area using a trolley, took it to another part of the temple premises and extracted around Rs 31,000 before sharing the money among themselves.
Authorities said departmental proceedings will continue alongside the criminal investigation.