How hidden cameras exposed Ram temple donation theft

A donation theft racket has been unearthed at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya after trust officials noticed discrepancies in cash deposits and installed hidden cameras inside the temple's donation-counting room. The covert surveillance operation revealed how employees were siphoning off cash and jewellery from donation boxes before they were officially recorded.

According to sources, the irregularities came to light in the last week of May when Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust officials reviewed the amounts being deposited in banks and compared them with the daily records of donation boxes.

Each donation box typically contained around Rs 7-8 lakh, but officials noticed repeated shortfalls in bundles of Rs 500 notes over several weeks, triggering suspicion. To verify the discrepancies, hidden cameras were installed in the room where donations are counted and sorted.

After reviewing a week's footage from the hidden cameras, temple authorities found that some employees involved in counting donations deliberately blocked the view of the visible CCTV cameras while their accomplices removed currency notes from prepared bundles and concealed them in their clothing.

However, the theft was still captured by the covert surveillance system, officials said.

Investigators have also uncovered another alleged modus operandi. Employees handling the cash reportedly inserted extra notes into bundles during counting. Since banks often verified only the number of bundles and not every individual note, vouchers were generated based on the inflated count.

During transportation of the money from the temple to the bank, the extra notes were allegedly removed, allowing the perpetrators to pocket the cash while ensuring that the deposited amount matched the official paperwork.

Sources said that one of the accused, Anukalp Mishra, who was involved in preparing donation vouchers, allegedly carried out the fraud with the help of his brother-in-law, Lav Kush Mishra. During the investigation, police reportedly recovered around Rs 10 lakh in cash from Lav Kush Mishra's residence.

Furthermore, the investigation has also revealed alleged lapses in security arrangements. Employees leaving the donation counting room were reportedly not subjected to any frisking or checks, which may have enabled the thefts to continue over an extended period.

Apart from cash, jewellery donated by devotees was also stolen. Sources claim that ornaments such as earrings, nose rings, bangles and anklets offered to the deity were siphoned off before they were officially recorded in temple registers.

Investigators have also examined CCTV footage of another accused, Avinash Pandey. Trust officials reportedly found that a portion of the money suspected to have been stolen was deposited into his personal bank account.

The probe has further brought under scrutiny the role of several individuals who regularly had access to the donation counting room, including Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Chandra.

Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra on Friday submitted their resignations taking moral responsibility in the matter, sources told India Today.

8 ARRESTED IN RAM MANDIR DONATION THEFT CASE

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested all eight accused just hours after registering the first FIR over the alleged misappropriation of offerings made by devotees at the Ayodhya temple.

Sources said all eight accused are currently being questioned, while arrest memos and other legal formalities are being completed.

The FIR names Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu as accused, besides several unidentified persons.

The case was registered on a complaint filed by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, following recommendations made in the preliminary report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

They have been booked under Sections 305, 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

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