The probe into the alleged embezzlement of Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations widened as the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Uttar Pradesh government, scrutinised bank accounts of the accused arrested in the case.
Sources told Times Now that the accused have not withdrawn their salary from their bank accounts, as they are using the money allegedly siphoned off from the Tempe donation funds for their daily expenses.
As per the sources, the accused were getting around Rs 17,000 to 20,000. The police arrested eight accused in connection with the matter last week. These eight accused are Ramashankar Yadav Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Lavkush Mishra, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Manish Yadav. On Thursday, the police also took Lavkush’s father, Bacchulal Mishra, into custody.
For the unversed, Tinnu was the driver of former Trust General Secretary . He was allegedly involved in almost all temple operations. He was even found to be in possession of the keys to the donation boxes. Meanwhile, another key accused, Anukalp Mishra, was an employee involved in counting cash.
Mishra has been identified as the mastermind behind the embezzlement case and was the first to be apprehended. A sum of ₹20 lakh was recovered from his residence in Kaushalpuri. Lavkush is Anukalp’s brother-in-law. He was hired through the recommendation of his father-in-law, Ravindra Mishra. Approximately ₹10 lakh in cash was found at his home.
FIR Against Champat Rai And Others:
On Thursday, the Bar Association of Faizabad filed a complaint against Rai, former trustee Anil Mishra and temple administrator Gopal Rao in connection with the alleged donation theft at the . Faizabad Bar Association president Kalika Sharan Mishra also confirmed that a written complaint was against the three individuals.
Earlier on June 29, Ayodhya’s Bar Association had said that no advocate will represent the accused in the case linked to the alleged embezzlement of donation funds at the Ram Temple.
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the SIT on June 13 to investigate the matter.