Ayodhya Ram temple donation scam prompts 8 arrests, 80L recovered
Ayodhya's Ram Temple is at the center of a donation scam, with police recovering nearly ₹80 lakh in cash after claims that up to ₹7.5 crore from offerings went missing.
The controversy came to light on June 7, 2026, following allegations by Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan "Pawan" Pandey.
The subsequent investigation has led to eight arrests for theft and corruption.
Varanasi security staff tied to scam
Six of those arrested worked for a Varanasi security agency hired to count temple donations, raising eyebrows about how deep this goes.
One suspect, Lavkush Mishra, even bought land worth ₹23 lakh recently, which police linked to the scam through phone records and raids.
Investigators are now digging into everyone's finances to track down where the rest of the missing money might have gone.