Nine people have been arrested by the Dadar police for illegally selling QR codes required for darshan at the Siddhivinayak temple. All of the arrested accused are shopkeepers and flower sellers outside the temple premises. mid-day was the first to report about the black marketing of QR codes at Siddhivinayak temple, following which Shree Siddhivinayak Temple Trust lodged a case with the Dadar police. Cops then carried out a raid at the shops in the temple premises and seized mobile phones of 13 shopkeepers.

As part of the probe, cops matched the QR codes, which mention the time slot for darshan, found on the phones of the apprehended people with footage from the CCTV installed at temple entrance. A police officer told mid-day that after a person makes an online booking for darshan at the temple from the app, a QR code is generated which mentions the time slot for entry at the temple. Devotees then have to show the QR code to the security personnel posted at the temple to enter the premises at the slotted time.