The investigation into the theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has reportedly widened, with around 30 more employees involved in counting cash offerings now under the scanner. According to The Indian Express, investigators are examining how these employees were recruited and whether any of them built assets beyond their known sources of income after joining the temple’s cash-counting work.
Police sources told The Indian Express that nearly 50 people were engaged in counting donations collected from devotees. Out of them, around 40 were reportedly appointed based on recommendations from office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust or people closely connected to them.
Investigators are now checking the background and financial records of these workers. A few senior Trust functionaries linked to the donation management process are also being examined, though no criminal responsibility has been fixed on them so far.
CCTV footage became a key piece of evidence
The case came to light after differences were found in donation records, following which the temple administration approached the police. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was later formed by the Uttar Pradesh government. During the investigation, CCTV footage reportedly showed six of the eight arrested men hiding bundles of currency notes inside their clothes, pockets and shoes while counting donations at the temple’s Pilgrim Facilitation Centre.
On 25th June, UP Police registered an FIR on the Trust’s complaint and arrested Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, and Subhash Srivastava. Tinnu Yadav earlier worked as the driver of former Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, while Manish Yadav is Tinnu’s nephew.
SIT points to major security failures
A nine-page preliminary report prepared by the SIT found that the theft was not limited to a few incidents but became possible because of serious gaps in security, supervision and cash-handling procedures.
The report mentioned at least 70 incidents captured on CCTV between 27th April and 6th June. It also noted that CCTV recordings were stored for only 45 days, even though earlier audit recommendations had suggested preserving them for 180 days, making it difficult to check whether the theft had started even earlier.
Investigators also found repeated cases where staff hid cash inside their clothes and shoes, while some co-workers appeared to help or cover for them.
Security rules were not properly followed
The SIT found several lapses in the way donations were handled. Staff members were not properly frisked before entering or leaving the counting room, dress code rules were ignored, and personal belongings were allowed inside. Donations from different hundis were mixed before counting instead of being processed separately, and denomination-wise records were often not maintained, making audits difficult.
The report also stated that Tinnu Yadav controlled the keys of donation boxes and managed access without any written authorisation, while counting supervisor Subhash Srivastava allowed this arrangement to continue.
It further pointed out that a security rule introduced in September 2024, which required mandatory frisking, was weakened through a Standard Operating Procedure issued on 6th February 2025, allowing only random checks. Even these checks were often skipped. The report also questioned the level of oversight by Trust representatives and noted that regular monitoring and compliance reviews were largely missing despite the presence of Trust and bank officials during the counting process.
