Ayodhya police again raided in Ram temple donation embezzlement case. So far, ₹79.85 lakh has been recovered from 7 out of 8 accused. Investigation of the properties is ongoing.
Ram Mandir Daan Case: In the case of alleged misappropriation of donations in Ram temple, Ayodhya police again raided the house of main accused Lavkush Mishra and conducted a massive search operation. At the same time, information has come to light that cash worth about ₹ 20 lakh has been recovered from accused Avinash Shukla. Now the focus of the police investigation is on the properties of the eight accused who are in jail. During the investigation, the officials also got information about the purchase of land in Shahadatganj area of Ayodhya by Lavkush Mishra, one of the main accused. According to the report, the value of this land is estimated to be around ₹23 lakh.
Ram Mandir Donation Case: How did the whole matter come to light?
The matter came into focus on June 7, when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged that an amount ranging from ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore was embezzled from the donations given by devotees to the Ram temple. After this the police registered the case and started investigation. The investigating agencies are trying to find out what role the accused played in the alleged embezzlement and what methods were used to withdraw the amount. So far, police have recovered ₹79.85 lakh cash from 7 out of 8 accused.
Ram Mandir Scam: How much cash was recovered from which accused?
Those arrested by the police in this case include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Rama Shankar Mishra and Karunesh Pandey.
According to the police, the cash recovered so far from the accused is as follows.
- Avinash Shukla – Approximately ₹20.40 lakh
- Karunesh Pandey – ₹18.07 lakh
- Anukalp Mishra – ₹16.82 lakh
- Lavkush Mishra – ₹14.25 lakh
- Rama Shankar Mishra – ₹7.32 lakh
- Manish Yadav – ₹2 lakh
- Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’ – ₹1 lakh
At the same time, no cash has been shown recovered from the house of the eighth accused Subhash Srivastava.
Avinash Shukla Case: Claim of finding cash and foreign currency from the room
During investigation, ₹12 lakh cash was recovered from Avinash Shukla’s room. Additionally, his brother had returned around ₹8.4 lakh to the Ram Mandir Trust last week. On the condition of anonymity, an official said that foreign currency equivalent to 900 to 1000 US dollars was also recovered from Avinash Shukla.
Ram Mandir Trust: Investigation into mutual relations of the accused also
Investigation has also revealed that the arrested accused Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are relatives. Both are also said to be related to Trust member Anil Mishra, who had resigned from his post last week. Apart from this, Rama Shankar Yadav is said to be an associate of Champat Rai, the former general secretary of the trust. Ram Shankar Yadav and Manish Yadav are also relatives. Champat Rai had also resigned from his post last week.
Ram Mandir Investigation: 6 accused used to work in security agency
The investigation has also revealed that six of the eight arrested accused were working in a private security agency in Varanasi. This agency used to arrange staff for the work of counting cash in the Ram Mandir complex.
Sainik Security Services: Got the responsibility through SBI
According to records of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, this agency named ‘Sainik Security Services’ was registered in Varanasi in December 2017. The paid-up capital of the company is recorded at ₹1 lakh. According to the report, the Naya Ghat branch of State Bank of India (SBI) had taken the services of this agency for the work of counting cash. Gaurav Singh, owner and director of the agency, said that the bank had recommended 19 names for the cash counting team.
Sainik Security Services Response: Agency denies allegations
The Military Security Services have denied any role in the alleged embezzlement. According to agency owner Gaurav Singh, his company had recruited a total of 22 employees and they were sent to SBI’s Ayodhya branch as housekeeping staff. He said that it was the responsibility of the bank to decide the further duties of the employees. We were given the task of providing housekeeping staff only at the Ayodhya branch of SBI. Only the bank can answer what work the employees did later and under what circumstances.