[Reader-list] Babas loot pilgrims at Kedarnath despite flood

[Javed]

The last line of this news is horrifying:
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'Religious men' held with Rs 1 cr in stolen money
Manu Pubby : Kedarnath, Mon Jun 24 2013

Rescuers working to evacuate stranded pilgrims claim to have recovered
over Rs 1 crore over the past two days from the last few batches to be
airlifted, money that had apparently been looted from this devastated
town.

The stolen jewellery and money, some of it in muddied and wet bundles
of cash, amounts to Rs 1.25 crore and will be dispatched soon to the
district magistrate by the NDRF and ITBP.

Officials said many of those trying to make away with the loot were
religious men or "babas", and were only caught because of some alert
troopers. Given the offerings made at temples in the holy town, cash
to the tune of crores changes hands on a regular basis.

The single bank that serviced the town has been washed away, as is the
case with the cash registers and strong boxes in most shops and
establishments. While the presence of personnel at the main temple has
kept it relatively safer, donation boxes and treasure chests at other
temples have been forced open.

"What got us suspicious was that some babas lined up for evacuation
had with them stacks of fresh, unused notes. A quick search revealed
that the notes were all numbered and probably belonged to a bank," a
rescue personnel said.

"One of the babas had

Rs 62,000 in cash hidden in a dholak (drum). Another had a packet of
prasad that revealed Rs 10,000 in sequenced notes. One had sewn Rs 1.2
lakh into his clothes," another rescuer said. People are let off if
the money appears to be their own —Being of different denominations,
and appearing well used.

A veteran official almost broke down while talking about one religious
man who had an unusually large number of rings and bangles on his
hands. A search revealed more such ornaments on his person. "He
confessed that he had robbed pilgrims, even cutting off the fingers of
a few."

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/religious-men-held-with-rs-1-cr-in-stolen-money/1133005/