Rs 2 Lakh, Mobile To Female Friend: Cops Trace Rs 15 Lakh Money Trail In Ram Temple Theft Case

Ram Mandir Donation Row: Police have uncovered new evidence in the Ram Mandir donation theft case, tracing financial transactions by the accused, Avinash Shukla, totalling more than Rs 15 lakh.

Avinash Shukla, among the eight accused in connection with the Ram Mandir theft case, allegedly sent the money to many people, and the police are probing whether these funds were linked to the stolen donation money, according to an NDTV report.

As per the probe, Avinash gifted around Rs 2 lakh in cash and an expensive mobile phone to a woman friend, which is also under investigation. Avinash’s brother, Abhishek, reportedly saw him carrying cash to a yoga centre after his shift, according to police.

When Abhishek asked about the source of the money, Avinash

did not give him a clear answer. When the former persisted, another accused, Anukalp Mishra, said the devotees gave money out of happiness and also offered payments in exchange for assistance during the darshan, before warning him not to bring up the subject again.

Police To Interrogate Accused

Meanwhile, the cops have received court permission to interrogate five individuals currently imprisoned in connection with the Ram Mandir donation theft case, sources told news agency ANI. Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, and Manish Yadav, will face questioning within the jail premises from Sunday.

The case centres on allegations that cash and valuables donated to the temple may have been misappropriated. Questions have been raised over the handling of 70 kg of silver, 1,250 kg of gold, Rs 200 crore in cash and other donated items, including offerings linked to Lord Ram’s idol and sacred padukas.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case reached the temple premises on Friday to carry out further investigation. The Uttar Pradesh government on July 1 granted a 15-day extension to the SIT to complete its investigation.

So far, investigators have recovered substantial amounts of cash from the accused, including Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu.

The alleged embezzlement of donations from the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has triggered a massive political storm in Uttar Pradesh, with the opposition launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJP, while the government maintains that a transparent probe is underway.

Ram Janmabhoomi Trust general secretary Champat Rai and former trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple hours after police arrested all eight people named in the FIR.

(with inputs from ANI)