Donation box contains an iPhone, but the Indian temple refuses to return it, saying "It already belongs to God"

Only Allow Transferring Saved Data on iPhone
Minister of Religious Affairs "Discussing Compensation Through Other Means"

In India, a man requested the return of his mobile phone that he accidentally dropped into a donation box, but the temple authorities refused, stating it was "already the property of the deity," sparking controversy.

Employee personnel searching for an iPhone accidentally dropped into the employee donation box. Photo by India Today

Recently, local media including India Today reported that at a Hindu temple near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, a man named Dinesh accidentally dropped his iPhone into the donation box while making an offering. Dinesh approached the temple officials and asked for his iPhone to be retrieved. However, the temple authorities drew a line, saying that once an item enters the donation box, it cannot be returned. They did allow transferring the data stored on the iPhone.

As Dinesh repeatedly insisted on the return of his iPhone, even the Minister of Religious Affairs of Tamil Nadu addressed the issue. The minister stated, "According to the temple's customs and traditions, whether by accident or not, all items that enter the temple's donation box become the property of the deity," and emphasized, "These cannot be returned." However, he mentioned that they plan to discuss with department staff whether compensation in another form might be possible.

A representative from the temple's management and human resources department said that according to the 'Regulations on Installation, Protection, and Management of Donation Boxes,' items placed in the donation box are considered the temple's property and cannot be returned. This is not the first time an item accidentally dropped into a donation box was not returned. At another temple, a woman accidentally dropped a garland she was wearing around her neck along with a gold necklace weighing approximately 1.75 kg into the donation box while making an offering. At that time, the temple reviewed the situation using closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and, considering the woman's financial difficulties, purchased a new gold necklace of equivalent value to return to her instead of the one dropped into the donation box.