Ram Temple row: CCTV shows accused hiding money in socks
What's the story
CCTV footage from Ram Mandir has revealed at least five of the eight men, accused of stealing money from donation, removing and hiding cash during the counting process, the Indian Express reported. The footage from the temple's Pilgrim Facility Centre, which was scanned over 45 days, shows counting personnel removing bundles of cash and hiding them in their clothes or socks. The theft came to light after the Trust filed a complaint, leading to an FIR on June 25.
Officer
Temple does not retain more than 45 days of footage
An officer said, "During the counting, five individuals can be seen whisking away bundles of notes from the pile, hiding them in their clothes or shoving it in socks. Searches at the premises linked to these individuals have already led to recovery of cash. Unfortunately, the temple does not retain more than 45 days of CCTV footage. So we cannot say with certainty for how long this theft has been going on."
Arrests made
Accused include former driver of Trust general secretary
The eight men arrested include Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastav. The police have recovered nearly ₹80 lakh from premises linked to these accused. Tinnu Yadav is Trust general secretary Champat Rai's former driver, while Manish Yadav is Tinnu's nephew. The Trust had hired around 50 people for counting donations dropped in various hundis at the temple.
Hiring controversy
SBI involved in hiring process
Six of the eight people accused were engaged for the counting by the State Bank of India through Sainik Securities, a Varanasi-based manpower agency. Gaurav Singh, director of Sainik Securities, clarified that his agency only provides housekeeping staff and not banking-related manpower. He told the Indian Express that SBI provided names for hiring, and the agency verified their credentials using Aadhaar cards. "SBI gave us names of the people to be hired....These men have never worked with us," Singh said.
Ongoing probe
Investigation now focuses on documents recovered
An officer confirmed the agency's claim, stating it appears that the temple was being run through adhocism. "Several of the accused are related to each other or to a trust functionary....people appointed for counting of notes, apart from the accused, have also been hired in ad hoc manner...There was no proper vetting." The investigation is now focused on documents recovered from premises linked to the accused. Police are trying to determine if any property was acquired with the stolen money.