Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, June 26: The probe by the Uttar Pradesh government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged donation fund embezzlement of the Ayodhya Ram Temple has reportedly uncovered multiple methods allegedly used to siphon off devotees’ donations at the Ram Temple.
Fresh details have emerged on how the counting staff dug into the temple’s hundis without being noticed and made away with a fortune that belonged to the deity. Several new revelations have also been made in an interim report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was formed to probe the case.
According to sources, employees involved in counting cash manipulated currency bundles by adding extra notes while preparing them. Since bank officials allegedly counted only the number of bundles rather than each individual note, the vouchers matched the declared amount. Before the cash was deposited, the extra notes were allegedly removed, allowing the accused to pocket the money without creating discrepancies in the records.
Investigators also relied on footage from hidden cameras installed inside the donation counting room. The recordings allegedly showed employees exploiting blind spots in the existing CCTV system. While one employee would intentionally block the view of the visible cameras, another allegedly removed currency notes from the bundles and concealed them in their clothing.
The investigating officers while examining the CCTV footage is claimed to have found at least 70 theft attempts between April 27 to June 5 alone, sources said on Friday. They said a person identified as Manish Kumar Yadav could be seen making a theft attempt on several occasions on the CCTV, but no action was taken against him.
According to sources, the SIT probe the matter has also found that there were major lapses in the handling of the donations during the counting process. It has also examined the internal audit reports for the financial years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25, which pointed to several procedural deficiencies.
The SIT further found that the records were not appropriately made, and the internal control system was ‘extremely weak’. Furthermore, there was no clarity on accountability at the supervisory level, sources said.
The temple trust officials had an inkling of a theft while reviewing the details of funds being deposited into banks, sources said. An irregularity was found when they examined the routine emptying of donation boxes. While a single donation box typically contained between Rs 6-7 lakh, a shortfall was found in the bundles of Rs 500 notes over a few weeks.
As the suspicion deepened, hidden cameras were installed in the room where cash is counted. That exposed repeated incidents of theft and the modus operandi. Upon reviewing a week’s footage from the hidden cameras, it was found that one employee engaged in the counting process would stand in front of the CCTV camera to cover it. At the same time, an accomplice would steal cash from the bundles and conceal it in their clothing, sources added.
But that wasn’t the only way the funds were siphoned. There was another plan. Sources suggest the counting staff would insert extra notes into each cash bundle. While tallying, they checked the number of bundles but not how many notes each bundle had, and generated a voucher. Later, while moving the cash to the bank, sources said the extra notes were removed from the bundles. This way, the total amount tallied with the voucher, yet money was siphoned.
It is alleged that after the theft, the stolen cash was initially hidden in bathrooms within the temple complex. Later, finding a suitable opportunity, the accused smuggled the cash out of the temple premises. Subsequently, the stolen money was divided among the participants at a different location.
Sources suggest this alleged racket had been operating since the temple opened its doors in 2024. Citing the SIT’s interim report, they claimed that CCTV footage has recovered 70 theft incidents between April 27 and June 5 this year. The names of several bank officials have also surfaced during the questioning of two of the accused, Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava, sources said.
The roles of other suspects are also being examined. Sources suggest that action is likely to be taken against several government employees as well. While reports suggest Rs 7-7.5 crore has gone missing from the temple, an official figure is still awaited. Around Rs 70 lakh in cash has so far been recovered and is being counted. Officials suggest the final recovered figure may be higher.
It has also been found that those involved in the counting process were acquaintances of various individuals and had secured their jobs through recommendations, sources said. For instance, Tinnu Yadav, who served as an administrator and was the driver for Champat Rai, had managed to get his cousin, Manish Yadav, appointed to the counting team.
Similarly, Anukalp Mishra got his brother-in-law Lavkush Mishra deployed in the same team. The counting employees were not searched when they left the temple every day after finishing duty, accounting for negligence by officials. Emboldened by this, they started stealing from temple offerings right where the donation boxes were opened, and the cash was sorted and bundled.
The SIT also found that Avinash Shukla used to deposit the money he had stolen in his bank account, said sources. The accused also stole jewelery left by devotees in the donation boxes, they added. The stolen items included earrings, nose rings, and bangles meant for the Ram Lalla idol, and anklets.
Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastava are believed to have played a pivotal role in the conspiracy. The probe has revealed that while all eight accused were spotted stealing on CCTV, Yadav and Srivastava are identified as playing the most critical roles in both hatching the conspiracy and executing it, according to sources citing the SIT report.
Srivastava had allegedly recruited others into the network and handled key responsibilities such as assigning counting duties, they said. The SIT has also found discrepancies between the number of hundis and the records during a review of internal audit reports of the temple trust over the past three years, said sources.
Their interim report has also flagged inadequate CCTV coverage and issues with the maintenance of counting records and the classification of offerings. Besides, there remains a lack of clarity regarding accountability at the supervisory level, sources said.
The report also noted that effective measures were overlooked despite identifying the issues, an unchecked counting process, and that security protocols remained merely on paper, while compliance was reduced to a mere formality.
Comments are closed.