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The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations at the temple.
Three Months Before the Ram Temple Donation Theft, SBI Had Sounded the Alarm.
Ram Temple Donation Row: The probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has intesified after one of the arrested accused allegedly revealed to investigators that stolen cash was temporarily hidden in washrooms before being taken out of the temple complex to avoid detection.
As per media reports citing police sources, one of the arrested accused, Avinash Shukla, was questioned for nearly two hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after obtaining court permission. During the interrogation, he allegedly admitted to stealing crores of rupees and described how the accused carried out the theft.
Mode of Operation
According to sources, Shukla told investigators that one person would allegedly remove cash from the donation counting process while others surrounded him to block the view of CCTV cameras.
The money was then allegedly hidden inside washrooms and later removed from the premises when the accused found an opportunity. Investigators were also told that the accused were aware of the locations of surveillance cameras inside the temple complex, enabling them to avoid detection.
Forner Trustee Under Lens
According to the sources, Shukla claimed that Mishra played an important role in the donation counting process and that the accused faced little scrutiny because of their proximity to trust officials.
Mishra and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from their posts last week. Both have already been questioned by the SIT. There has been no official statement linking either of them to any wrongdoing, and the investigation is continuing.
Probe Into Counting Room Access
Investigators are also examining access to the temple’s donation counting room. Sources said arrested accused Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav allegedly possessed one of the keys to the counting room, while the second key was with bank personnel involved in the counting process.
The counting of cash donations is authorised by SBI, which has engaged a private agency for the job. The cash offerings are made in four donation boxes and counted by a team of 14 people, including 11 bank staff and three from the temple trust.
The SIT is probing whether there was any collusion that enabled the alleged siphoning of donations and is also examining the role of bank staff connected with the counting process.
Financial Trail Under Scanner
Police said the accused allegedly told investigators that some of the stolen money was used to purchase land and a house. The SIT is now tracing financial transactions and assets linked to the accused to establish the money trail.
Eight people have been arrested so far in connection with the case. The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations at the temple.
Investigators are also examining how the alleged theft continued over a period of time without being detected and whether additional individuals were involved.
About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre…Read More
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