VVIP darshan scam: Siddhivinayak mastermind held; account with money deposited by victims found

Jitesh Bajrang Chandvekar, the arrested accused

In a VVIP darshan racket at Siddhivinayak Temple, the Dadar police arrested a 39-year-old flower vendor named Jitesh Bajrang Chandvekar. During the investigation, it was discovered that Chandvekar was extorting devotees for a VVIP darshan of Lord Ganesha at the Siddhivinayak Temple and taking a large amount of money from them.

Chandvekar, a Worli resident, was exposed in October after an investigation by mid-day. After this paper's reports, the temple trust approached the Dadar police, leading to Chandvekar's arrest and an FIR being filed. Dadar police also identified three more suspected individuals: Mangesh Chavan, 35; Prithvipal Rajput,27; and Ratibhan Yadav, 43, all residents of Prabhadevi.

Advisory for devotees outside temple in October 2023. Pic/Anurag Ahire

"The accused Chandvekar was arrested and released on bail after spending time in jail," stated a police officer. "The court ordered him to report to the Dadar police station every Sunday between 11 am to 4 pm for further investigation. The court also ordered him not to tamper with prosecution evidence or hinder the investigation in any way. He must cooperate with the investigation until the charge sheet is presented."

Also Read: Siddhivinayak Darshan: With illegal stalls gone, everyone will queue up

A police officer said, "After the FIR was filed, Chandvekar applied for anticipatory bail at the session court, which was rejected. Police also reviewed Chandvekar's Paytm account and discovered several large transactions from devotees. Currently, police are verifying all individuals who made payments to Chandvekar's Paytm account through UPI." Accused Chandvekar has been running a shop outside the temple for over 25 years. PSI Gaurav Tawar of the Dadar police station, sent a notice to the other three accused individuals to appear at the police station. The investigation was led by the Dadar police under the senior Inspector Rajendra Awhad, and with the guidance of PSI Tawar, they managed to apprehend the accused Chandvekar.

On October 2, during a Sankashti Chaturthi occasion, the mid-day team visited the Siddhivinayak temple to expose the VVIP Darshan racket run by flower vendors. They approached several vendors who were willing to provide VVIP darshan for a fee of Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 for 3 people. The accused Chandvekar was also present outside the temple. Rs 3,000 were paid to Chandvekar to avoid the long queue and swift entry was provided inside the temple for darshan. After the reports, BMC demolished illegal stalls operated by flower vendors inside and outside the temple compound.

25
No of years accused wa running shop outside temple