A fellow worshipping at a temple in Tamil Nadu, India accidentally accidentally dropped his iPhone into the donation box. When he asked officials at the Arulmigu Kandaswamy temple to return the phone, they politely refused.
Eventually, his plea was heard by PK Sekar Babu, minister of the state of Karnataka.
"As per the practices and traditions of temples, offerings made in the donation box are considered the property of the deity," the minister was quoted as saying. "Rules do not allow us to return such offerings."
According to India Today. "a senior HR & CE official said that, as per the Installation, Safeguarding, and Accounting of Hundial Rules, 1975, items deposited in the donation box cannot be returned, as they are deemed temple property."
Previously:
• Clapping at this Mayan temple echoes back as a quetzal bird call
• Slow-mo fountain at Nanzen-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan