Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Over half a dozen people were scammed on the pretext of special darshan at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Thursday morning.

The victims were told they would receive a rare opportunity to offer water (jal) to Lord Mahakal inside the sanctum sanctorum for ₹1100 fee per head.

During the routine check, Ujjain Collector Neeraj Singh caught two people, including an aide of a priest, red-handed while they were accepting money from the devotees.

The two accused were arrested and sent to Mahakal police station. In response to the serious nature of the case, the ADM, SDM, Tehsildar, and the temple administrator, along with all 10 complainants, were directed to file applications at the police station.

According to ADM Anukul Jain, Collector Neeraj Singh, as part of his regular temple visit, noticed 10 devotees at Nandi Hall. Upon talking to them, he found out that they had been brought by Rajesh Bhatt, a priest representative, and another person, who had charged each devotee ₹1,100 to offer water to Lord Mahakal.

The devotees accused the two men of telling them that they needed to pay ₹1,100 per person for the water offering ritual. When the Collector heard this, he immediately sent both accused and the devotees to Mahakal police station.

Six devotees, including Manoj Kumar and Sanju Devi from Uttar Pradesh, paid ₹6,600, while others from Ahmedabad were also asked to pay ₹2,200.

They were promised that the full amount would be returned after the ritual.

The ADM confirmed that further investigation was underway and the statements of the victims were being taken to proceed with the case.