Last updated:
Six of the eight arrested were hired by a Varanasi-based private security agency through the State Bank of India (SBI) for cash-counting operations at the temple.
What did the hidden cameras reveal? Investigators claim that footage from covert cameras shows some employees deliberately obstructing the view of existing CCTV cameras, while another person allegedly removed currency notes from bundles and hid them inside his clothes. Police say the recording provided vital evidence of the alleged theft and helped identify those involved.
The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya is entering a critical phase, with police indicating that more arrests are likely as they expand the scope of the investigation beyond the eight people already in judicial custody.
The investigators have questioned Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra about the role, responsibilities and appointment of the eight arrested accused, the functioning of the temple’s donation collection system and the manner in which cash and valuables collected from devotees were handled.
The inquiry comes as investigators are delving deeper into what the Special Investigation Team (SIT) believes was a systematic diversion of donations before they reached the temple’s designated bank accounts. Meanwhile, a Hindustan Times The report said six of the eight arrested were hired by a Varanasi-based private security agency through the State Bank of India (SBI) for cash-counting operations at the temple, adding a new dimension to the investigation.
The police have already recovered Rs 79.85 lakh in cash during the searches and said the investigation is now focused on establishing whether people inside or outside the system helped in the alleged embezzlement.
Expectation of another arrest as the scope of investigation increases
according to Indian ExpressAfter taking permission from the court, a police team on Tuesday interrogated the arrested accused Avinash Shukla inside the jail about the role of the private agency engaged in counting the temple donations and sending the cash to the Naya Ghat branch of SBI.
Officials told the newspaper that Shukla was recruited through the agency as well as the bank, and investigators are probing the entire chain through which manpower was deployed to handle the temple donations.
Police indicated that another arrest was likely as the investigation progressed.
Why were Champat Rai and Anil Mishra interrogated?
Interrogation of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra does not make them accused in this case. Investigators are trying to reconstruct how the donation management system worked and who was responsible for overseeing it.
According to the police, Rai and Mishra were among the key administrators of the temple affairs and were known to all eight arrested people.
The investigators have sought information on who was entrusted with the task of monitoring the donation boxes located on the two floors of the temple, who supervised the counting of cash and valuables, how responsibilities were assigned and whether Rai or Mishra had recommended the appointment of any accused.
The Uttar Pradesh SIT had already recorded their statements during its preliminary investigation. The local police investigation is now seeking additional details related to the day-to-day functioning of the temple administration and the cash-handling mechanism.
After the FIR was filed on June 25, both Rai and Mishra submitted their resignations to the Trust, although the Trust is yet to take a final decision on them.
Varanasi security agency in headlines after arrest
The eight people arrested in the case include Avinash Shukla, Luvkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava. All eight are currently in judicial custody.
Among them, Ram Shankar ‘Tinnu’ Yadav is the former driver of Champat Rai. According to Hindustan Times, Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are relatives of trustee Anil Mishra, while Ram Shankar Yadav and Manish Yadav are relatives of each other.
One of the most significant developments in the investigation has been the emergence of the role of the Varanasi-based manpower agency, Sainik Suraksha Services. According to Hindustan Times, six of the eight arrested were on the payroll of the agency, which was appointed by the Naya Ghat branch of the SBI for cash-counting operations at the temple.
Agency director Gaurav Singh said that the temple trust is not their client. Instead, he said, SBI had hired the company to provide manpower.
According to Singh, the local SBI branch itself had recommended the names of 19 people for inclusion in the cash counting team. “Normally, it is the corporate office that raises such demands, but in this case the local branch asked us to absorb 19 of our already posted people in our company and provide them back,” Singh said. Hindustan Times.
He said each employee gets a monthly salary of around Rs 20,000. Singh also clarified that Sainik Suraksha Services had only supplied manpower to SBI and had no contractual relationship with the temple trust.
SBI’s role is being investigated
The latest revelations have also brought into focus the role of the local branch of SBI. Officials have been quoted as saying Indian ExpressThe Trust had entrusted SBI with the task of ensuring that donations collected from devotees are deposited in the specified bank account while keeping the Trust informed about the process.
SBI, in turn, hired a private agency for the actual counting and transportation of the cash.
Earlier, SBI had said that it is providing banking services to the trust after the consecration ceremony in January 2024 and is extending full cooperation to the SIT.
However, reports earlier this week said that some SBI officials had alleged that they were pressured by some trust members to include specific individuals in the cash-counting team. A senior bank official anonymously told HT that the people recommending the names were “powerful” and could not be refused. Investigators are looking into these allegations as part of a broader investigation.
How did the case open?
The controversy first came to light on June 7, when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that devotees’ donations worth between Rs 5 crore and Rs 7.5 crore were misappropriated. Following the allegations, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust requested a government inquiry.
On June 13, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Lucknow Range IG Kiran S and Special Secretary (Finance) Neel Ratan.
The SIT conducted its preliminary investigation between June 15 and June 20 and reported prima facie irregularities in the management of cash and valuables donated to the temple.
The investigators concluded that it appeared that there was a systematic diversion of donations during the collection and counting process, and a portion of the offerings were allegedly withdrawn before reaching the trust’s bank accounts.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered on June 25 against eight named accused and unidentified others under several provisions of the Indian Justice Code, including section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act as well as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy.
Eight accused were arrested on June 26 and Rs 79.85 lakh in cash was recovered during searches of their residences.
With investigators now probing the role of the security agency, the SBI branch, the process through which personnel were inducted into the cash-counting system and administrative oversight by senior trust officials, the investigation has gone well beyond the initial arrests.
About the author
The news desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who chronicle and analyze the most important events happening in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers…read more
read more
