Rs 18 crore missing every year? Siddhivinayak Temple Trust asked to explain
Trust says it flagged donation irregularities and sought an audit in May, months before Raj Thackeray's Rs 18-crore theft claim. Nine people have been arrested so far.
The Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department has sought a detailed financial report from the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust amid a political storm triggered by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s allegation that donations worth Rs 18 crore are being siphoned off from Mumbai’s iconic temple every year. The Trust, however, maintained that the department’s move was initiated on its own request for a comprehensive audit submitted in May, months before the allegations surfaced.
“The Law and Judiciary Department has asked the trust administration to submit a report. Based on that report, the state government will decide the further course of action,” trustee Rahul Londhe said on Monday.
The development comes after Raj Thackeray, speaking at the 20th anniversary programme of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) on August 1, claimed that a letter addressed to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alleged that Rs 18 crore was being stolen from the temple every year.
Rejecting the allegation, the Trust said no such letter had been written to Shinde. Instead, it said the trustees had approached the Law and Judiciary Department in May 2026 seeking a comprehensive audit of donations received by the temple.
Trust president and Minister of State Sada Sarvankar said it was the trustees themselves who first alerted authorities after noticing discrepancies in donation collections.
“I approached the Anti Corruption Bureau and its chief Vishwas Nangre Patil with a complaint, following which officers were deployed at the temple,” Sarvankar said.
According to the Trust, one temple employee, Rajendra Pendurkar, was arrested for allegedly stealing donation money, following which eight more accused were arrested in March. Sarvankar alleged that all the accused have links with Shiv Sena (UBT), a claim the party has not responded to.
The alleged theft first came to light on March 20 after temple authorities noticed cash missing from a donation box.
Initially, the Dadar police registered an FIR for the theft of Rs 10,000. During the investigation, police said they recovered Rs 80,000.
Investigators said CCTV footage showed individuals repeatedly removing cash from a small donation box over a period of around 10 days.
Police arrested eight persons in the case and have filed a chargesheet. All the accused are currently out on bail.
