Bengaluru Driver Steals ₹1.5 Crore From CA, Donates Part To Temple — Money Now Irretrievable

Thefts taking place in India is not rare, but only a handful make it to the headlines. However, one such case in Bengaluru has drawn widespread attention - not just for the crime itself, but for its unusual "spiritual" angle.

It appears the accused may have attempted to seek forgiveness from God in a rather ironic fashion. The story becomes even more intriguing as the stolen money, once donated to a temple, cannot be retrieved - and the amount involved? Reportedly close to ₹1 lakh.

Photo Credit: WISE

The incident took place in Bengaluru on May 5, when a 46-year-old chartered accountant from Kodandaramapura entrusted his long-serving driver with a bag containing ₹1.51 crore at his residence.

The driver, Rajesh B N, had been working with the CA for the past decade. The accountant asked Rajesh to place the bag in the car, as the money was meant to be deposited into a bank account. But when the accountant came downstairs to leave for the bank, both Rajesh and the car were missing.

According to a report in the Deccan Herald, the CA told police, "I quickly drove to my office address and found my car parked there. When I called Rajesh, he said he was buying medicine at a store and would return in 10 minutes," he said. "However, he didn't come back and went incommunicado after that."

Following the complaint, the police traced Rajesh and issued him a summons. He appeared before the authorities on 9 May, admitted to the theft, and was subsequently taken into custody.

What Did the Driver Do with Stolen Money?

The police investigation revealed Rajesh had spent approximately ₹1 lakh on various items for his family. Later, he donated several thousand rupees to a temple's donation box (hundi) - a sum that, according to police, cannot be reclaimed.

Why Can't Temple Donations Be Returned?

In many South Indian temples, money placed into a hundi (donation box) is considered an offering to the deity and is typically non-refundable.

Reports suggest such donations are used for temple maintenance, religious activities, and occasionally for state projects. Although temple management may consider exceptional requests, the prevailing norm is that once money is deposited into a hundi, it becomes temple property and cannot be returned.

In a similar case last October, a devotee accidentally dropped his expensive iPhone - worth around ₹1 lakh - into the hundi at the renowned Thiruporur Kandaswamy Temple in Chennai. The temple authorities made it clear that "anything that is dropped into a 'hundi' (donation box) is the property of the temple."