India, June 19 -- In a major crackdown on fraudulent activities around the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Police have arrested 11 fake "Yatri Gumastas" (middlemen) over the past five days for allegedly extorting money from devotees on the pretext of facilitating special darshan of Lord Jagannath.

Acting on credible information that some individuals were forcibly collecting money from pilgrims and devotees near the temple premises, Puri Police launched a special operation around the shrine. The crackdown was carried out by the Singhadwar Police Station with the aim of ensuring hassle-free darshan for devotees and curbing the activities of unauthorized middlemen.

According to police, five fake middlemen were arrested during a raid condu...