In the Ram Mandir donation case, SIT found ‘Ramrajya Kosh’ donation box with QR code from the house of the accused. Now forensic investigation into QR transactions, bank accounts and alleged embezzlement networks has intensified.
Ayodhya/Lucknow: The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations in Ayodhya’s Ram temple has now reached such a turn, which has made the whole matter even more serious. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has recovered a wooden donation box with “Ramrajya Kosh” written on it from the house of Avinash Shukla, one of the main accused. A QR code was also found on this box, through which donations could be taken through digital medium. The investigating agencies are now considering this recovery as the most important link in the entire case and are trying to find out whether this system was used to divert the donations collected in the name of the temple.
Raid at mastermind’s house: Mysterious chest of ‘Ramrajya Kosh’
When SIT teams, along with local magistrates, raided the house of the main accused in the case, Avinash Shukla, even the officers themselves were stunned to see the scene there. A heavy wooden donation box was recovered from inside the house, on which “Ramrajya Kosh” was very cleverly written. It was not just an ordinary box, but a well-planned weapon to rob the devotees of their faith in the name of Lord Ram. The most surprising thing was that a QR code for digital payment was also pasted on this traditional wooden box. The investigators suspect that the accused were running a fake and illegal donation collection network in the name of Lord Ram, outside the temple premises.
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Digital Chakravyuh: Where was the QR code money going?
Till now, only the matter of misappropriation of cash was coming to light in this entire scam, but the recovery of this QR code has turned the matter into a diplomatic web of ‘cyber and financial fraud’. A special team of forensic experts has now started conducting the post-mortem of this QR code. Investigators are now looking for answers to the main questions of this digital maze:
- To which bank account was this QR code linked and who is its real beneficiary?
- Who activated this code and when?
- Till now, how many unknown devotees have transferred money to Ram Temple considering it as official donation and what is the total amount?
Was the accused alone or was there a big network?
The investigation is no longer limited to just one person. The SIT is trying to find out whether the recovered donation box was used at an individual level or it was part of a larger network. Officials believe that if similar QR codes or donation boxes are used at other places also, the role of many more people could come to light. Keeping this possibility in mind, the financial records, bank accounts and electronic devices of all the accused are being thoroughly investigated.
‘Mysterious bag’ captured in CCTV and 15 days countdown
The SIT has got additional time of 15 days from the local court to get to the bottom of this high-profile case. This time is considered very important for the investigation because a huge amount of cash was recovered from Shukla’s house earlier also. Not only this, another big suspense came to light when in a CCTV footage, just before the police action, Avinash Shukla was seen running away with a mysterious bag. Officials believe that this recovery of ‘Ramrajya Fund’ can open the biggest ‘dead-end’ of this case. After analyzing the seized electronic gadgets and documents, many big faces of this syndicate are expected to be exposed.
Banking loophole and diplomatic earthquake: Will there be more arrests?
Initial investigation has found several procedural lapses in the process of handling temple offerings. From cash management to employee verification and monitoring systems of private agencies outsourced by State Bank of India (SBI), negligence was taken advantage of everywhere. This mega scam has also brought a big earthquake in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. While the opposition parties are questioning the transparency of this entire system, the temple trust and the government have made it clear that no matter how high a position the culprit holds, he will not be spared. So far, 8 people have gone behind the bars in this case, and the SIT has clearly indicated that as soon as the links of digital transactions of ‘Ramrajya Fund’ are opened, the arrest of many more white-collared people is certain.