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Six of the eight arrested were employed by a Varanasi-based private security agency hired through the State Bank of India (SBI) for the temple’s cash-counting operations.
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The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is entering a crucial phase, with police indicating that more arrests are likely as they widen the probe beyond the eight men already in judicial custody.
Investigators have questioned Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra about the roles, responsibilities and appointment of the eight arrested accused, the functioning of the temple’s donation collection system and the manner in which cash and valuables collected from devotees were handled.
The questioning comes as investigators dig deeper into what the Special Investigation Team (SIT) believes was a systematic diversion of donations before they reached the temple’s designated bank accounts. Meanwhile, a Hindustan Times report states that six of the eight arrested were employed by a Varanasi-based private security agency hired through the State Bank of India (SBI) for the temple’s cash-counting operations, adding a new dimension to the investigation.
Police have already recovered Rs 79.85 lakh in cash during searches and say the probe is now focused on establishing whether more people inside or outside the system facilitated the alleged embezzlement.
Another Arrest Expected As Probe Expands
According to The Indian Expressa police team, after obtaining court permission, questioned arrested accused Avinash Shukla inside jail on Tuesday regarding the role of the private agency engaged for counting temple donations and dispatching the cash to SBI’s Naya Ghat branch.
Officials told the newspaper that Shukla had been recruited through the agency as well as the bank, and that investigators are examining the complete chain through which manpower was deployed for handling temple donations.
Police indicated that another arrest is likely as the investigation progresses.
Why Champat Rai And Anil Mishra Were Questioned
The questioning of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra does not make them accused in the case. Investigators are seeking to reconstruct how the donation management system functioned and who was responsible for overseeing it.
According to police, Rai and Mishra were among the key administrators of temple affairs and were familiar with all eight arrested men.
Investigators have sought details on who was entrusted with monitoring donation boxes located on the temple’s two floors, who supervised the counting of cash and valuables, how responsibilities were assigned, and whether any of the accused had been recommended by Rai or Mishra for deployment.
The Uttar Pradesh SIT had already recorded their statements during its preliminary inquiry. The local police investigation is now seeking additional details relating to the day-to-day functioning of the temple administration and the cash-handling mechanism.
Both Rai and Mishra submitted their resignations to the Trust after the FIR was registered on June 25, although the Trust is yet to take a final call on them.
Varanasi Security Agency In Spotlight After Arrests
The eight people 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 Srivastava. All eight are currently in judicial custody.
Among them, Ram Shankar ‘Tinnu’ Yadav is a former driver of Champat Rai. According to Hindustan Times, Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are related to trustee Anil Mishra, while Ram Shankar Yadav and Manish Yadav are related to each other.
One of the most significant developments in the investigation is the emergence of the role of Sainik Security Services, a Varanasi-based manpower agency. According to Hindustan Times, six of the eight arrested were on the payroll of the agency, which had been engaged by SBI’s Naya Ghat branch for cash-counting operations at the temple.
The agency’s director Gaurav Singh said the temple trust was not its client. Instead, he said, SBI had hired the company to provide manpower.
According to Singh, the local SBI branch itself recommended the names of 19 people to be inducted into the cash-counting team. “Usually, it’s the corporate office that raises such demands, but in this case the local branch asked us to absorb 19 of its previously deployed persons into our company and provide them back,” Singh told HT.
He said each worker received a monthly salary of around Rs 20,000. Singh also clarified that Sainik Security Services merely supplied manpower to SBI and had no contractual relationship with the temple trust.
SBI’s Role Under Scrutiny
The latest revelations have also brought the role of SBI’s local branch into focus. According to officials quoted by The Indian Expressthe Trust had entrusted SBI with ensuring that donations collected from devotees were deposited into the designated bank account while keeping the Trust informed of the process.
SBI, in turn, had hired a private agency to undertake the actual counting and transportation of cash.
Earlier, SBI said it has been providing banking services to the Trust since the January 2024 Pran Pratishtha ceremony and is extending full cooperation to the SIT.
However, reports earlier this week said that some SBI officials alleged they were pressured by certain Trust members to include specific individuals in the cash-counting team. A senior bank official told HT anonymously that those recommending the names were “powerful” and could not be refused. Investigators are examining these allegations as part of the broader probe.
How The Case Unfolded
The controversy first surfaced on June 7, when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that between Rs 5 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in devotees’ donations had been siphoned off. Following the allegations, the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust requested a government inquiry.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Lucknow Range IG Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.
The SIT conducted its preliminary inquiry between June 15 and June 20 and reported prima facie irregularities in the handling of cash and valuables donated at the temple.
Investigators concluded that there appeared to have been a systematic diversion of donations during the collection and counting process, with a portion of the offerings allegedly siphoned off before reaching the Trust’s bank accounts.
An FIR was subsequently registered on June 25 against the eight named accused and unidentified others under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The eight accused were arrested on June 26, and searches at their residences led to the recovery of Rs 79.85 lakh in cash.
With investigators now examining the role of the security agency, the SBI branch, the process through which personnel were inducted into the cash-counting system and the administrative oversight exercised by senior Trust officials, the probe has expanded well beyond the initial arrests.
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