CHENNAI: A fire broke out inside the donation box of the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram on Friday, which, police say, was triggered using a chemical substance. Officials are now checking the CCTV footage from the area to identify the suspects.

The administration of Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram has taken up the renovation of the temple at an estimated cost of Rs 33 crore. A large donation box was placed near the entrance of the temple specifically to collect funds for the ongoing renovation works.

The incident happened on Saturday afternoon, when smoke was seen coming out of the donation box. Alarmed by this, devotees and temple staff immediately informed the temple authorities. Some of them quickly poured water into the box and managed to douse the fire.

When the donation box was opened later in the evening, the temple authorities found that notes worth Rs 2,000 were completely burnt. In addition, many notes were soaked and damaged due to the water poured to stop the fire. Temple staff took the wet notes carefully and kept them dry.

Police said around Rs 1 lakh was inside the donation box, besides coins, and small gold and silver items.

Based on a complaint that the temple authorities filed, a team of officials from Sivakanchi police station visited the spot. They are checking the CCTV footage from the area to identify the culprit.

According to sources, the police are suspecting that someone may have secretly placed some chemical like phosphorus that catches fire easily. The officials are trying to trace the culprits behind this act and what the motive was. The donation box was opened and counted only four months ago.