Ram Temple row: Accused reveals how theft was carried out
What's the story
Avinash Shukla, one of the eight accused in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft case, was interrogated by police on Tuesday. During the nearly two-hour session, Shukla confessed to stealing crores of rupees and detailed how they executed their plan. He also said temple trustee Anil Mishra, who resigned last week along with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, played an important role in the donation counting process.
Key access
Key to the donation counting room was with bank employees
Reportedly, at least 125 staff members were hired on Mishra's recommendation. Shukla also claimed that another accused, Tinnu Yadav, an aide of Rai, had a key to the donation counting room. The other key was with bank employees. The theft was executed with the help of several people, Shukla said, who created a cover while one person took the money. They also knew where cameras were placed and avoided detection by hiding stolen money in bathrooms before retrieving it later.
Surveillance evasion
The cameras were monitored from a control room
Shukla also revealed that the cameras were monitored from a control room but weren't actively monitored by staff. Investigators are looking into Shukla's alleged strategy of standing in front of CCTV cameras during donation counting. This is suspected to have been a tactic to avoid detection or record tampering. The stolen money was allegedly used to buy land and a house, which police are now investigating as part of the financial trail linked to the accused.
Investigation progress
₹58 lakh was recovered from Shukla's house
The Uttar Pradesh government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to probe the case. Interestingly, ₹58 lakh was recovered from Shukla's house on June 5, even before an FIR was registered. The remaining money was returned through bank transfers between June 5-8. This indicates efforts to recover embezzled funds started before any formal legal proceedings were initiated.
Leadership changes
Rai and Mishra resigned after FIR was filed
After the FIR was filed on June 25, both Rai and Mishra resigned from their positions. They are now being questioned about their roles in overseeing temple operations and donation handling. The police are also probing how this theft went undetected for so long and if more people were involved in it. Amid this massive scandal, the trust, which holds meetings every three months, has decided to hold an emergency meeting on July 6, five days earlier than planned.