In a bizarre turn of events, a Tamil Nadu temple has refused to return an iPhone dropped by a devotee into the hundi (donation box), insisting that anything placed in the box “belongs to the deity.”
Dinesh, a resident of Vinayagapuram, visited the Arulmigu Kandaswamy temple in Thiruporur near Chennai with his family last month. After offering prayers, he attempted to donate some money by placing it into the hundi. However, while pulling notes from his pocket, his iPhone accidentally fell into the box.
Upon realizing the mistake, Dinesh immediately approached the temple authorities, requesting the return of his Apple device. But the officials informed him that once something is placed in the hundi, it becomes the property of the deity. They also explained that the box is only opened once every two months.
Frustrated, Dinesh filed a complaint with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) officials, asking to be notified about the hundi’s opening. When the box was finally opened on Friday, Dinesh rushed to reclaim his phone. However, the authorities maintained their stance, offering him the option to take his SIM card to retrieve any important data from the device.
Despite Dinesh purchasing a new SIM card, the authorities refused to return the iPhone, leaving him with no choice but to accept their decision. The temple’s executive officer also added that it was unclear whether Dinesh had dropped the phone as an offering or by accident, as the hundi is secured with an iron fence.
, insisting that anything placed in the box "belongs to the deity."){kind=link}