Cops foil KVT darshan scam, 8 held

Varanasi: Eight people posing as priests were arrested by Chowk police on Sunday for allegedly duping devotees at Kashi Vishwanath Temple by promising out-of-turn darshan services for a fee. ACP Atul Anjan Tripathi said complaints about illegal darshan services at Kashi Vishwanath Temple prompted police to gather evidence. Based on CCTV footage and a tip-off, they identified and arrested the accused, including Murlidhar Pandey, Ritesh Pandey, Ram Babu Pandey, Vijay Tiwari, Harsh Pandey, Kaju Pandey, Vinayak Pandey and Akash Pandey. They were booked on charges of misbehaving with devotees and extorting money in the name of easy darshan.