Sabarimala: Temporary staff arrested for stealing Rs 10,000 using SI’s ATM card

A temporary employee of a private company, Jishnu Sajikumar (a native of Mavelikkara), has been arrested by Devaswom Vigilance for allegedly misappropriating ₹10,000 from an ATM card at Sabarimala. He was working at counter number 15 in Malikappuram.

The counters at the Sannidhanam, where offerings such as appam and aravana are distributed, are managed by a private company appointed by Dhanalakshmi Bank. Jishnu, the temporary staff member, reportedly used the ATM card of an SI, Vadivel from Chennai, who had come for darshan from Tamil Nadu.

After purchasing offerings worth ₹1,460, including appam and aravana, Vadivel handed the ATM card to Jishnu for swiping. During this process, Jishnu memorised the confidential PIN. He then returned a different card to the SI without the latter noticing.

Unaware of the fraud, Vadivel and their party completed the darshan and left. Shortly afterwards, Jishnu allegedly used the stolen ATM card to withdraw ₹10,000 from the Dhanalakshmi Bank branch at the Sannidhanam. The withdrawal alert was received on the SI’s mobile phone, prompting him to report the matter to the bank. Dhanalakshmi Bank subsequently lodged a complaint with the Vigilance authorities.

Following an investigation, Jishnu was taken into custody.