A racket that was fleecing devotees in the name of VVIP darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi has been busted, with police arresting eight touts in a single day and sending them to jail.
How the scam came to light
With the holy month of Sawan under way, thousands of devotees are thronging Varanasi every day to seek Baba Vishwanath's blessings, and touts operating inside the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor were exploiting this rush to extract money from pilgrims by promising them VVIP access. The scam surfaced when a tout named Basant Pandey collected four thousand rupees from four devotees who had travelled from Mysuru, promising them an easy, hassle-free darshan. Just as the money changed hands, a police team happened to be patrolling the area. The moment Basant Pandey spotted the police, he abandoned the four devotees on the spot and fled. The shaken pilgrims immediately alerted the police about what had happened.
Inspector traces the tout through the crowd
Inspector Shivakant Mishra swung into action as soon as he received the information. He questioned shopkeepers in the vicinity and eventually located Basant Pandey, who had tried to disappear into the crowd. The police recovered the four thousand rupees on the spot and returned it to the devotees, who were then given darshan of Baba Vishwanath. The episode brought relief to the victims, but it also exposed how openly such touts had been operating inside the corridor.
Eight arrests in twenty-four hours
The Kashi police have now stepped up surveillance against such touts. In the past twenty-four hours alone, eight people, including Basant Pandey, have been arrested for duping devotees under the pretext of arranging darshan. All of them lured pilgrims with false promises of VVIP entry before collecting money from them, and all eight have since been sent to jail.
Police appeal to devotees
The Kashi police have appealed to devotees to stay alert against such fraudsters, stressing that no fee is charged for darshan of Baba Vishwanath. According to the police, anyone demanding money in the name of darshan is, by definition, a cheat.
A recurring problem at major temples
This is not the first time pilgrims have been swindled in the name of darshan at a major temple. Such rackets often involve tourist guides or hotel operators, and in some cases even flower and garland sellers stationed outside temple gates take up the same racket. Varanasi police showed alertness this time and caught the culprits before the scam could spread further, but preventing such incidents altogether will require greater awareness among devotees. Warning signs placed at multiple points inside temple premises could help ensure that pilgrims travelling from far-off places are not taken in by the promises of unknown strangers.
