Mumbai, April 6 -- Three employees of ISKCON New Vrindavan East Trust (Madhuban Ashram) have been booked by Khar police for allegedly siphoning off donation funds by issuing fake receipts and diverting money into a separate account not linked with the trust. The accused have been identified as Prem Prakash Rana, Harsh Kumar Kaushal, and an unidentified accomplice. According to the FIR, the trust's head office is in Khar West and it manages temples and ashrams in Gurgaon, Kurukshetra, Rishikesh, and Madhuban Ashram. The Khar office administers the Madhuban Ashram, which has a 25-room guest house and provides affordable meals and accommodation to devotees. The case came to light on account of multiple complaints by devotees who alleged being asked to make cash payments or transfer money to personal accounts instead of authorised trust channels. One of the complainants, Satyavrat Gaud, told police that during his visit at Madhuban Ashram in December 2025, he was initially asked to pay in cash for a meal. When he insisted on paying online, he received a receipt bearing a GST number not linked to the trust. In January 2026, another devotee, Shreya Torane, was allegedly asked to pay cash for a room booking. When she refused, she was given a staff member's mobile number to transfer money via Google Pay. Similarly, Rahul Patil, in an email complaint dated January 20, claimed the ashram discouraged online donations and insisted on cash payments. After donating Rs.5,000, he was issued two receipts of Rs.2,000 each and one receipt of Rs.1,000. Following the complaints, the trust conducted an internal inquiry which revealed that Rana, who worked as a cashier, along with Kaushal and their associates, had allegedly set up a parallel entity named "Nav Madhuban Ashram Trust" to mislead devotees and collect funds. Police said the accused allegedly deposited the money into a personal account linked to the fake entity and distributed pamphlets carrying their own UPI IDs during Krishna Janmashtami in August 2025. Police said the fraud is suspected to have been ongoing since 2022. Based on a complaint filed by founder trustee Hirishkesh Mafatlal, 71, a case was registered on March 29 under Section 318(4) (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said the total amount siphoned by the accused is yet to be ascertained. "We are at present verifying the complaint and the extent of the fraud," said an officer from Khar police station....