Ram Temple Donation Theft: Cash Hid In Washrooms To Beat CCTV — 10 SIT Probe Updates

Ayodhya:

The probe into the alleged embezzlement of donation funds at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has taken a fresh turn after one of the arrested accused reportedly told investigators that stolen cash was temporarily stashed in washrooms before being smuggled out of the temple complex to dodge detection. According to Times Now, citing police sources, accused Avinash Shukla was questioned for nearly two hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after the team obtained court permission. During the interrogation, Shukla allegedly admitted to stealing crores of rupees and detailed how the theft was carried out.

1. How The Theft Was Allegedly Carried Out

Times Now sources said Shukla told investigators that one person would remove cash during the donation counting process while others allegedly surrounded him to block CCTV cameras from capturing the act. The stolen money was then allegedly hidden inside washrooms before being taken out of the premises whenever the accused found an opportunity. Investigators were also told that the accused were familiar with the locations of surveillance cameras inside the temple complex, which allegedly helped them evade detection.

2. Former Trustee Under Scanner

Shukla reportedly claimed that former trustee Anil Mishra played a key role in the donation counting process and that the accused faced little scrutiny owing to their proximity to trust officials. Mishra and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from their posts last week and have already been questioned by the SIT. There has been no official statement linking either of them to any wrongdoing so far, and the investigation is ongoing.

3. Counting Room Access Under The Lens

Investigators are separately probing access to the donation counting room. Sources said arrested accused Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav allegedly held one of the two keys to the counting room, while the second was with bank personnel. The cash counting process is authorised by the State Bank of India (SBI), which engaged a private agency for the job. Offerings collected in four donation boxes are counted by a 14-member team comprising 11 bank staff and three trust employees. The SIT is examining whether collusion between Tinnu Yadav and bank employees enabled the alleged siphoning, with sources claiming both allegedly received a share of the stolen money.

4. Recruitment Under Investigation Too

The SIT is also examining the temple's recruitment process, with sources claiming nearly 125 employees were recruited on Mishra's recommendation, while other appointments were allegedly influenced by associates of Champat Rai and Gopal Rao. The probe has expanded to include allegations that commissions were taken in exchange for appointments.

5. Varanasi-Based Firm Under Scanner:

Earlier findings had also revealed that six of the eight arrested accused were employees of Varanasi-based private security agency Sainik Security Services, which had been assigned cash-counting responsibilities by SBI's Naya Ghat branch in Ayodhya. Sources said the bank had recommended 19 individuals for the exercise, though certain personnel recommended by the temple trust were also retained on the team.

6. Bank Of Baroda's Role

The Ayodhya Police has also conducted inquiries at the Bank of Baroda's Ayodhya branch, serving a notice to verify details of the Ram Temple Trust's account there. Sources said the account is used exclusively for online donations, including UPI/QR code payments, and does not handle cash transactions, meaning Bank of Baroda staff are not involved in the cash-counting process. An estimated 10-15 per cent of the temple's total donations come in online and are deposited with Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank (PNB), while the bulk of cash donations are routed through SBI.

7. Thefts Peaked During Kumbh Mela

Investigators believe the largest thefts took place during the Kumbh Mela, when donations at the temple surged sharply. While some accused had allegedly been carrying out smaller-scale theft even before the Kumbh, the spike in donations during the gathering is suspected to have allowed them to steal larger sums. All eight accused are suspected to have conspired together, with brothers-in-law Lav Kush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra allegedly playing a central role and cornering the largest share of the stolen money.

8. Money Trail Being Traced

Police said the accused allegedly told investigators that part 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 full money trail, and is examining how the alleged theft continued undetected over time and whether more individuals were involved.

9. SIT Gets 15 More Days

The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted the SIT on June 13 to investigate the alleged embezzlement of Ram Temple donations. Sources said the SIT has now been granted an additional 15 days to complete its investigation, with the scope being expanded further to ensure a thorough probe into all aspects of the case. Eight people have been arrested so far.

10. Ram Mandir Trust Meeting On July 6:

Amid the ongoing probe into the Ayodhya Ram Temple donations theft case, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday called for an urgent gathering of its members as it has advanced its next meeting to July 6 from the previously scheduled July 11 meet.

How The Scam Came To Light

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 to investigate alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple, after suspicions arose over irregularities in the cash-counting process. Eight people were subsequently arrested by Ayodhya Police in connection with the case, six of them employees of Varanasi-based private security agency Sainik Security Services, which had been assigned cash-counting duties by SBI's Naya Ghat branch. Investigators found that the accused, aware of CCTV camera positions inside the counting room, allegedly worked in coordination to skim cash during the counting process over an extended period before the theft was detected, with the scale of the alleged fraud escalating sharply during the Kumbh Mela when donations peaked.