New revelations from Champat Rai’s guest house in Yodhya Ram Mandir donation case! Who is behind the sting operation, claims of avoiding CCTV, unpaid bill donation and recovery of crores of rupees?
Ram Mandir Donation Scam: The biggest and sensational news of this time from Ayodhya! While on one hand the grand Ram Temple, the center of faith of crores of devotees, remains in the headlines, on the other hand an alleged and dreadful game going on within the donation network of the temple has been exposed. An explosive sting operation by national media channel TIMES NOW has exposed the layers of the Ram Mandir donation system, which has shaken the entire country. A detailed account of the full investigative report and investigation is given below:
Secret hideout of ‘Babuji’: The truth behind closed doors
The case of theft of Ram temple donation in Ayodhya became more heated when as per the report of TIMES NOW, his team captured on camera the suspicious working of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s General Secretary Champat Rai (known as ‘Babuji’ in the inner circle). The gates of the trust’s guest house, which had been closed for the media for many days, suddenly opened when undercover reporters posing as businessmen said that they had come to ‘donate silver’. A person named Pradyuman, who declared himself close to Champat Rai on camera, made shocking revelations. He suggested a way to avoid the cameras and safely send the donations directly to ‘Babuji’, which makes it clear that Champat Rai, who is not visible to the public, is still running the entire network from behind the scenes.
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Claim to avoid CCTV and without bill donation?
According to the video surfaced in the sting, Pradyuman, a person who described himself as close to Champat Rai, reportedly said that if the donor wants to make donations by avoiding CCTV cameras, then he can be helped in that too. The report also claimed that the original purchase bill was not demanded for donating the gold or silver. Instead, it was asked to prepare an affidavit in which the donor declares that he will have no claim on the donated property in future. If these claims are proven true, it could raise serious questions on the transparency and accountability of the donation process. At present these allegations are under investigation and it is too early to reach any conclusion.
Gold without bills and that mysterious affidavit of ‘giving up rights’
The most dangerous thing that came to light in the sting operation was the process of taking donations. Generally, for large donations of gold and silver, strong bills and legal documents are necessary. But, Champat Rai’s associates did not demand any real bills from the undercover team.
Shocking condition: The network placed a strange condition before the donors. They were asked to sign an affidavit stating that after donating, the donor will not have any right on the metal. That means the trust will be completely free to use that gold or silver in any way as per its wish. The limit reached when the team again knowingly brought fake jewellery, yet they were insisted on accepting it without any verification or investigation.
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From pauper to millionaire? ‘Illusion’ of money in recovery memo
The investigation of Uttar Pradesh Police and Special Investigation Team (SIT) in this case has also reached a very shocking turn. Police have so far recovered cash, gold jewelery and US dollars worth more than Rs 1 crore from the accused. But the biggest contradiction is regarding the economic background of the accused.
| name of the accused | estimated amount recovered |
| avinash shukla | ₹20.39 lakh + US$1,121 + gold jewelery |
| Karunesh Pandey | ₹18.07 lakh |
| Anukalp Mishra | ₹16.82 lakh |
| Lavkush Mishra | ₹14.25 lakh |
| Ramashankar Mishra | ₹7.32 lakh |
Surprisingly, the main accused Avinash Shukla was struggling for his studies and daily expenses till the Mahakumbh. In such a situation, the question arises: Were these people from humble backgrounds the real masterminds, or were they merely acting as ‘custodians’ (keeping cash) for a very powerful face?
Midnight raid by police and Champat Rai’s confession!
Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its initial report, after which an FIR was registered on June 25 and 8 people associated with the donation counting department of the temple were arrested. On Wednesday, Ayodhya Police searched even the pile of dry fodder at the house of accused Lavkush Mishra and detained his father Bachchu Lal Mishra. A suspicious donation box with QR code has also been recovered from the spot.
When the heat of this entire mega scam reached Champat Rai, he had reportedly first offered to resign, taking “moral responsibility”. However, he is active again with Anil Mishra. The police have interrogated Avinash Shukla, lodged in the district jail, on 24-hour remand and have also recorded the official statement of Champat Rai himself. The name of a yoga instructor is also coming to light in this case, whose role is being investigated. As the links are being connected, it is becoming clear that this game going on in the name of faith is very deep and many big faces may be exposed in the coming days!
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The biggest question still remains
The claims of the sting operation and the findings of the police investigation so far have made the entire matter more complicated. The most important question is whether the alleged financial irregularities were limited to a few individuals or was there a role of a larger network in the donation process? The answer to this will now emerge only after detailed investigation by SIT, digital evidence and judicial process.
Note: The claims related to the sting operation described in this report are based on relevant media reports. These allegations have not been independently verified and the investigation into the matter is ongoing. The final findings will become clear only after the process of competent investigating agencies and the court.