Eight arrested, ₹79 lakh recovered in Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi temple donation theft probe

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into alleged theft from Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple donation boxes has led to eight arrests and the recovery of over ₹79 lakh.

CCTV footage examined during the SIT probe allegedly captured Manish Yadav, one of the eight accused arrested, stealing cash from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple donation boxes on multiple occasions — yet no action was taken each time. Sources say Manish is a relative of co-accused Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, who allegedly facilitated his appointment to the temple's cash-counting unit, effectively shielding him from scrutiny. The SIT has arrested Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra, and Subhash Srivastava, in connection with the alleged siphoning of cash from temple donation boxes. A local court on Friday remanded all eight to judicial custody till June 29. Investigators have recovered Rs 79.85 lakh allegedly linked to the embezzled donations — from all accused except Subhash Srivastava, from whom no cash was recovered.

Six of the eight accused were associated with the bank's outsourced cash management agency entrusted with counting donations at the temple, and were directly involved when the alleged embezzlement took place. The remaining two — Subhash Srivastava and Tinnu — were not part of the counting agency. Tinnu is identified as Ram Mandir Trust General Secretary Champat Rai's driver and close associate. The FIR alleges the accused conspired to siphon devotees' offerings over an extended period, with the case registered under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The allegations were first raised by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between Rs 7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. The state government constituted a three-member SIT on June 14 to probe the alleged scam.

Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra have resigned, taking moral responsibility in connection with the case. The FIR was lodged at the instance of Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, following recommendations in the SIT's preliminary report.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, addressing a public meeting in Deoria on Friday, said action began immediately after the SIT submitted its report and assured that no one found guilty would be spared. He described the controversy as a politically motivated attempt to defame Ayodhya, alleging that parties opposed to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement were now feigning concern over devotees' faith. "Playing with public sentiment is unacceptable. Whoever tampers with the faith of Sanatan Dharma will have to face the consequences. No one can be given any exemption," he said, while appealing to political parties to allow the investigation to reach its logical conclusion. Adityanath also hit out at AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who described the UP Police FIR as a "sham" during a visit to Ayodhya on Friday, saying Kejriwal's tenure as Delhi CM delivered only "destruction and corruption" for 15 years.