At the Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple in Thiruporur, near Chennai, a devotee named Dinesh accidentally dropped his iphone into the temple's hundi (donation box).

As per temple tradition, anything placed in the hundi is considered the deity's property and cannot be returned.

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The unusual incident has sparked comparisons to the Tamil movie Palayathamman, where a woman accidentally dropped her baby into the hundi, and the temple authorities claimed the child belonged to the deity.

While the film's story was fictional, many are now pointing out how reality seems to mirror it.

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Dinesh, from Vinayagapuram, explained that the mishap occurred while he was dropping money into the hundi. His phone slipped from his pocket and fell inside. Despite his immediate plea to temple authorities, he was told the phone could not be retrieved.

When the hundi was opened on Friday, Dinesh hoped to reclaim his phone but was only allowed to take the SIM card and download his data.

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Temple executive officer Kumaravel stated that the phone would remain in the temple's custody, as anything dropped in the hundi belongs to the deity. He added that it wasn't clear if Dinesh had dropped the phone accidentally or intentionally.

The incident has sparked a debate among devotees and on social media. While some support the temple's strict adherence to tradition, others call it "loot in the name of religious sentiments."

Critics argue that such rigid rules exploit devotees and defy logic in modern times. Dinesh, left with no choice, has decided to let the authorities decide his plea.