Ambaji: In the wake of a theft during the counting of offerings at the Shaktipeeth Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha, the district administration and the Ambaji Temple Trust have introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to tighten security and make the treasury counting process more transparent. Banaskantha Collector Mihir Patel said the incident was investigated immediately, action was taken against those responsible, and the revised SOP has been implemented to prevent such incidents in the future.

The theft came to light around two months ago during the temple’s routine Tuesday treasury counting, when a bundle of cash was allegedly stolen by temple employee Chirag Thakor. Following the incident, the Ambaji Temple Trust launched an internal inquiry before filing a formal complaint with the Ambaji Police Station.

During the police investigation, Chirag Thakor, along with Vivek Sharma and Nikunj Patel, was arrested in connection with the case. All three were employed by the temple at the time of the incident. The temple trust subsequently dismissed them from service with immediate effect.

Following the incident, the temple trust and the district administration overhauled the treasury counting system by introducing a new SOP with multiple security measures.

Under the revised protocol, the entire counting process will now be monitored continuously by more than 20 CCTV cameras, with recordings preserved for at least six months for future review, if required.

The SOP also makes security screening mandatory for every employee involved in treasury counting. Staff members will be checked using metal detectors before entering and after leaving the counting area, while security personnel will conduct additional checks to prevent any irregularities.

To further improve transparency, the temple trust has also decided to live-stream the entire treasury counting process on the LED screen installed at Chachar Chowk within the temple premises.

Collector Mihir Patel said the administration acted swiftly after the theft surfaced by registering a police complaint, initiating legal action against those involved, and strengthening security arrangements. He said the objective of the new SOP is to safeguard devotees’ faith, ensure complete transparency in the temple’s treasury management, and eliminate the possibility of malpractice. DeshGujarat