- CCTV footage showed five individuals stealing cash during counting.
- Police recovered Rs 80 lakh, arresting eight suspects.
- SIT examines temple administration, outsourcing, and potential bank roles.
The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple has gathered pace after police claimed that CCTV footage captured several accused allegedly stealing cash while counting offerings made by devotees. Investigators say searches conducted at locations linked to the suspects have also resulted in the recovery of around Rs 80 lakh. The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Shri Ram Lalla shrine.
CCTV Footage Allegedly Captures Theft During Cash Counting
According to investigators, CCTV footage covering the past 45 days shows five of the eight arrested individuals allegedly removing bundles of currency notes during the counting process.
Police claim the accused can be seen concealing cash inside their clothing and socks before leaving the counting area.
An officer quoted by The Indian Express stated that during the counting, five individuals could be seen whisking away bundles of notes from the pile, concealing them in their clothes or stuffing them into socks. The officer mentioned that searches at premises linked to these individuals had already resulted in the recovery of cash. He added that, unfortunately, the temple did not retain CCTV footage for more than 45 days, so it could not be said with certainty how long the theft had been occurring.
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Rs 80 L Recovered; Eight Arrested
The SIT said searches at premises linked to the accused led to the recovery of approximately Rs 80 lakh.
Those arrested in the case are Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastav.
Among those arrested is Tinnu Yadav, who is employed as the driver of Champat Rai, the former general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Investigators have not alleged any wrongdoing by Champat Rai.
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Probe Expands To Hiring Process, Temple Administration
The outsourcing agency that supplied personnel for the donation-counting work has distanced itself from the accused, stating that the names of the workers were recommended by the State Bank of India (SBI), which manages the deposit of the temple’s donations.
Investigators are now examining whether any bank employees played a role in the alleged embezzlement.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has extended the SIT’s investigation by 15 days, allowing the three-member panel to continue examining the temple’s administrative functioning, including staff appointments and land-related matters.
In a parallel investigation, Uttar Pradesh Police questioned accused Avinash Shukla at the Special Operations Group office in Ayodhya. Police had earlier obtained his 24-hour remand from a local court and subsequently conducted searches at his residence as part of the ongoing investigation.
