On Sunday, 28th June, the police conducted simultaneous raids at the homes of all eight people arrested in the Ram Mandir donation theft case in Ayodhya as the investigation entered a new phase. The raids began early in the morning with police teams, local magistrates, and a revenue official, who joined the operation as an independent witness.
The searches are aimed at tracing the money trail, checking the assets of the accused, and finding out how much money may have been taken from the temple donations. The accused are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
The coordinated raids came a day before the accused were due to be produced before the court after their three-day judicial custody. Eight police teams, each comprising male and female officers, searched the residences of the 8 accused in Ayodhya.
Police examine assets and question family members
During the raids, investigators questioned family members and neighbours about the financial condition of the accused over the past four years. Officials are collecting details about land, jewellery, bank deposits, vehicles, and other investments to understand whether there was any sudden rise in their wealth.
Police have also been asking neighbours whether the accused or their families had recently bought new properties or expensive vehicles.
According to sources, the families of Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav and Manish Kumar Yadav did not cooperate with the police during the searches. Tinnu Yadav is the personal driver of Champak Rai, who resigned as the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after an FIR was filed in the case.
One of the key developments came from the family of the accused, Anukalp Mishra. His aunt, Neha Mishra, told investigators that the family earlier had a modest financial background. She said their lifestyle changed noticeably after Anukalp started working with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Eight accused arrested after CCTV footage
The eight accused were arrested last week after CCTV footage reportedly showed their involvement in the embezzlement of temple donations collected from the hundis (donation boxes).
The accused are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav. All of them were part of the team responsible for counting cash donated by devotees at the Ram Temple.
Court custody and expanding investigation
A local court had earlier sent the accused to police custody till Monday. They are expected to be produced before the court again, where police are likely to seek another round of custody for further questioning.
Investigators are also looking into whether more people were involved in the conspiracy. Officials are gathering additional evidence to strengthen the case.
Around ₹80 lakh recovered, missing amount estimated at over ₹7 crore
The exact amount of money missing from the temple donation records is still being verified. However, investigators estimate that nearly ₹7 crore to ₹7.5 crore could be missing.
So far, police have recovered ₹79.85 lakh from the accused. It is not yet clear whether any additional cash or valuables were recovered during Sunday’s raids.
The case was registered after a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary report to the Uttar Pradesh government. The accused have been booked under charges including theft by a servant, criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Trust leaders step down amid controversy
Amid the ongoing case, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust confirmed on Saturday that its General Secretary Champat Rai and trust member Anil Mishra have resigned from their positions.
In a statement, the trust said it was shocked by the developments and assured devotees that it would fully cooperate with the investigation. It also said steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
The trust appealed to devotees not to believe rumours or misinformation, saying the sanctity of the Ram Temple remains untouched and the faith of millions of devotees continues to be strong.
