Ram Temple probe finds 70 donation thefts in 40 days, evening shift under lens

The investigation into the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has found that offerings were stolen at least 70 times over a span of 40 days, with all incidents occurring during the evening counting shift, sources told India Today TV, citing details of police interrogation of the accused.

The revelations have prompted authorities to overhaul the donation-counting process. The temple has now adopted a single-shift system, replacing the earlier two-shift arrangement under which the alleged thefts took place.

According to sources, the thefts occurred between 2 pm and 9 pm, when donations were counted during the second shift. Earlier, counting was carried out in two shifts, from 6 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 9 pm. Under the revised system, donation counting is now conducted only between 9 am and 6 pm.

Police said the disclosures were made during the custodial interrogation of accused Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey.

Officials have alleged that Avinash Shukla was involved in more than 50 of the 70 thefts, making him the principal accused. The probe also found that Shukla and Anukalp Mishra allegedly assisted each other during the thefts. According to the investigation, the accused at times stole offerings twice in a single day, while on five occasions thefts allegedly took place three times in one day.

Officials said the decision to move to a single-shift counting system was taken after the probe confirmed that the alleged thefts were confined to the evening shift.

'DEVOTEES HAPPY WITH TEMPLE ARRANGEMENTS'

Speaking to reporters in Ayodhya on Sunday, Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Mishra said devotees visiting the temple had not expressed any dissatisfaction over the temple's management, worship or their faith.

"If you ask the devotees near Angad Teela and Sugriv Kila about their feelings, I assure you there is no complaint regarding their faith in Lord Ram, the temple arrangements, or the worship taking place here," Mishra said.

Rejecting reports that the number of devotees visiting the temple had declined, Mishra described such claims as rumours and said he regularly interacted with pilgrims, who continued to display unwavering faith.

RAM MANDIR DONATION THEFT CASE

The Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after allegations of misappropriation of temple donations surfaced.

The controversy began on June 7, when Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple. The allegations followed reported discrepancies detected during the counting of offerings in the first week of June.

The SIT's preliminary inquiry found prima facie evidence of embezzlement, leading to the registration of an FIR and the arrest of eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process.

The probe also led to changes within the temple trust. General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from his post, and his resignation was accepted on July 6.

None of the trust's three former office-bearers has been named as an accused in the FIR. However, opposition parties and sections of civil society have sought accountability from them over their senior administrative roles in the temple's management.

Meanwhile, SIT has identified lapses in personnel frisking, supervisory oversight and CCTV surveillance. It has also ordered a fresh audit of the Trust's accounts for the past five years and a review of expenditure incurred on major events over the last two years.

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