SIT recovers ₹80L in Ram Temple donation theft
What's the story
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged theft of donations from the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya has led to the arrest of eight people. The accused were produced in court on Friday and sent to judicial custody till Monday. They include Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava. The SIT has recovered ₹79.85 lakh in cash, allegedly linked to the embezzled donations.
Recovery details
Accused formally arrested on Friday
All the accused except Subhash Srivastava had cash recovered from them. The FIR filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, alleges that these individuals misappropriated trust funds through a criminal conspiracy. The accused were detained on Thursday night after the FIR was lodged and formally arrested on Friday morning.
Investigation progress
SIT probe into the case
The SIT probe, which started on June 13 at the request of the Ram Temple Trust, was headed by Lucknow divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant. It included Lucknow range IG Kiran S and the finance department special secretary Neelratan Kumar as members. The team examined records related to donation collection and counting processes at the temple. They also questioned employees involved in these processes to identify any lapses or wider conspiracies.
Evidence review
CCTV footage shows accused stealing cash multiple times
Sources cited by The Times of India say CCTV footage reviewed during the SIT probe allegedly shows accused Manish Yadav stealing cash multiple times. Despite these alleged thefts, no action was taken as Manish is reportedly a relative of co-accused Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who allegedly helped him get a job in the temple's cash-counting unit.
Court security
Security beefed up ahead of court appearance
Ahead of their court appearance, elaborate security arrangements were made at the court complex with the deployment of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel. Circle officer Shreyash Tripathi also visited to review these arrangements. The accused will be presented before the court again on Monday as investigations continue into this high-profile case involving alleged embezzlement at one of India's most revered religious sites.