Eight trustees of Mumbai’s iconic Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust have written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde seeking a high-level government inquiry into the alleged theft
of cash from the temple’s donation boxes, claiming the shrine may have suffered an annual loss of nearly Rs 18 crore.
In the letter dated April 21, 2026, accessed by News18, the trustees alleged that weekly donations collected from the temple’s donation boxes surged sharply after employees accused of stealing cash were arrested, indicating that funds may have been siphoned off over an extended period.
The trustees also sought an investigation into the possible involvement of senior administrative officials, saying they had “strong reasons to believe” that the alleged theft may not have been limited to lower-level employees.
What Temple’s Trustees Wrote In Letter
According to the letter, the temple’s weekly collections from donation boxes were generally below Rs 50 lakh before the accused employees were caught. However, in the three weeks following their arrests, the amount collected every Wednesday rose to around Rs 1.5 crore.
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“This clearly indicates that a substantial portion of the donations collected every week was being siphoned off before the money was counted. Based on these figures, we suspect that the temple may have suffered an annual loss of nearly Rs 18 crore,” the trustees alleged.
They further wrote, “We have strong reasons to believe that the links in this matter extend to senior levels, warranting a thorough investigation.”
Seeking government intervention, the trustees urged Shinde to order “a high-level government inquiry, including an investigation into the role of senior officials associated with the administration.”
The letter, signed by trustees Atul Lodhe, Bhaskar Raut, Mahesh Murliadhar, Jitendra Raut, Meena Kamble, Mangala Tupe, Gopal Dalvi and Sudarshan Sangale, said the board had helped increase the temple’s revenue by nearly 25% over the past one-and-a-half years through various administrative measures.
Thackeray Alleges Donation Theft At Siddhivinayak
The issue was raised publicly by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at an event organised by the party’s student wing on Saturday. Reading out portions of the trustees’ letter, Thackeray alleged that “Every year, Rs 18 crore was being stolen” from the Siddhivinayak Temple.
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He also claimed that Rs 1,400 crore had been stolen from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the issue.
“Frustrated youths visit temples, but even temples are not safe from corruption,” Thackeray said.
Nine Employees Of Siddhivinayak Arrested
Responding to the allegations, Siddhivinayak Temple Trust chairman Sada Sarvankar confirmed that nine employees had been arrested in connection with the alleged theft.
“We have filed cases wherever required,” Sarvankar told reporters. Police are investigating the alleged donation theft case.
