Local police strongly suspect that this deep-rooted network operated undetected for a prolonged period, manipulating financial channels to divert sacred donations.
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Ayodhya Ram temple- IANS file image
Ram Temple donation scam: The alleged multi-crore embezzlement of devotees’ donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple took a major turn on Friday as trust officials Champat Rai and Anil Mishra resigned amid growing scrutiny. Their departures coincide with an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of temple offerings. Meanwhile, all eight previously arrested accused have been remanded to judicial custody as investigators shift their focus toward potential banking official involvement, suspecting an organized racket that systematically siphoned off funds over several years.
Local police strongly suspect that this deep-rooted network operated undetected for a prolonged period, manipulating financial channels to divert sacred donations. As the probe intensifies, authorities are auditing banking transactions and interrogation logs to trace the full extent of the financial trail and identify any institutional insiders who facilitated the multi-year racket.
According to the report, Rai and Mishra resigned on moral grounds days after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted preliminary findings highlighting serious lapses in the management of donations and cash offerings made by devotees at the Ram Temple. Their exit is being viewed as the first major accountability measure after the controversy triggered widespread outrage and demands for action against those responsible for supervising the temple’s day-to-day administration and the handling of offerings.
The resignations followed the registration of an FIR against eight persons, including temple attendants, cash-counting staff and a retired bank employee, who are accused of working in collusion to divert cash and valuables donated by devotees.
Also read: Ayodhya Temple trust files FIR over suspected misappropriation of donations
All eight accused were arrested and presented before a magistrate on Friday, who remanded them to three-day judicial custody till June 29. Police are expected to seek their custodial remand for detailed interrogation to unravel the alleged conspiracy, trace the flow of funds and identify other beneficiaries, say sources.
The accused include Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra and retired bank employee Subhash Srivastava. Investigators believe each played a specific role in the alleged embezzlement of offerings received at the temple.
Among them, Ramshankar Yadav a.k.a. Tinnu has emerged as the central figure in the investigation. Tinnu, a former driver of Champat Rai, allegedly enjoyed considerable access within the temple administration.
(With inputs from agencies)
