MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has claimed that donations of Rs 18 crore were being siphoned off every year at the famous Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai.
He also alleged that Rs 1,400 crore had been stolen at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Even temples are not safe these days, Thackeray said and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on this issue.
The MNS chief was speaking at a programme organised by his party's student wing on Saturday.
Frustrated youths visit temples, but even temples are not safe from corruption, he said.
Some employees who stole money from the donation box at the Siddhivinayak Temple were caught due to the alertness of the trustees, Thackeray said, reading out a letter written by eight trustees to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The temple's weekly earnings from donations were less than Rs 50 lakh before this theft was caught, and afterwards the collection rose to Rs 1.5 crore, he said.
"Every year, Rs 18 crore was being stolen," Thackeray alleged.
Sada Sarvankar, chairman of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and a leader of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, said that nine employees were arrested in this connection.
"We have filed cases wherever required," he told reporters.
The rise in donations was due to the efforts taken by the trust, Sarvankar said, adding that the temple's income has increased from Rs 114 crore two years ago to Rs 182 crore.
Notably, police have arrested multiple accused in the case of alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple and the investigation is underway.