Fake Kollur Mookambika temple website scam: Rajasthan youth arrested
Kundapura: Police have arrested a 21-year-old youth from Rajasthan for allegedly creating a fake website of the renowned Kollur Sri Mookambika temple and cheating devotees by collecting money in the name of online room bookings.
The accused has been identified as Nasir Hussain (21), a resident of Tijara district in Rajasthan. According to police, the accused designed and operated a fake website resembling the official website of the Kollur Sri Mookambika temple to target devotees, especially those travelling from distant places.
Using the fake website, Nasir Hussain allegedly lured devotees by offering advance online booking of rooms near the temple. After receiving payments online, he issued fake booking receipts, thereby cheating unsuspecting devotees.
Several such incidents came to light when devotees arrived at Kollur and realised that their bookings were not reflected in the official records of the temple.
Following complaints from victims, the executive officer of the Kollur Sri Mookambika temple lodged a formal complaint at the Kollur police station. Since the case involved misuse of information technology related to a Muzrai department temple, police registered the case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Considering the seriousness of the offence, a special investigation team was formed under the leadership of Byndoor Circle Inspector Shivakumar B., Kundapura Circle Inspector Santosh A. Kaikini and Kollur Sub-Inspector Vinay M. Korlahalli. The team conducted a detailed technical investigation, tracking digital footprints linked to the fake website and online transactions.
During the investigation, police traced the operation to Rajasthan and confirmed Nasir Hussain as the prime accused. On Friday, the police team arrested him from Dakhapuri in Rajasthan. A laptop allegedly used for creating and managing the fake website and carrying out fraudulent transactions has been seized as crucial evidence.
The accused has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody. Police have urged devotees to be cautious and rely only on official temple websites and authorised platforms for bookings, warning that cyber frauds targeting religious institutions are on the rise. Temple authorities advised devotees to make payments and bookings through official website karnatakatemplesaccommodation.com
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