A devotee in India drops Rs1 billion cheque in temple, had only Rs17 in account

A devotee deposited a cheque of Rs100 crore (Rs1 billion) in the ‘hundi’ (offering box) at Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam.

When the temple authorities sent the cheque to the bank concerned, they were shocked to learn that the devotee had only Rs17 in his account.

The photograph of the cheque surfaced on social media on Thursday. The cheque was signed by Boddepalli Radhakrishna.

The devotee has not written the date on the cheque which belongs to Kotak Mahindra Bank. The cheque shows that the devotee is an account holder in the bank’s branch in Visakhapatnam.

When the officials of the temple body found the cheque in the Hundi, they took it to the Executive Officer. He sensed something amiss and asked officials to check with the bank branch concerned if it was really Rs100 crore cheque.

The bank authorities informed the temple body that the person who issued the cheque has only Rs 17 in his account.

The temple authorities are planning to write to the bank to identify the donor. Sources said if the donor had the intention of cheating the temple authorities, the bank may be requested to initiate cheque bounce case against him.

The devotee’s action evoked interesting comments on the Internet. While some netizens commented that the man invited wrath of the God, some others commented that he may have made an advance payment to the God to answer to his prayers.

Located on Simhachalam hill in the port city, Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple is one of the famous temples of Andhra Pradesh.

Indo-Asian News Service