Police has sought remand of two more accused in the Ram Mandir donation theft case. A total of 8 accused have been arrested so far. The SIT investigating the case may soon submit its final report to the government. Initial investigation has found evidence of large-scale irregularities.
Police clamp down on the accused
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [भारत] July 17 (ANI): Ayodhya Police has moved the local court for seven-day police remand of two accused, Tinku Yadav and Manish Yadav, in the case of alleged theft of Ram temple donations. The police have emphasized in their petition that custodial interrogation of both is necessary to get to the bottom of the matter. Ayodhya Police said, “Police told the court that custodial interrogation is important to uncover the conspiracy, trace money transactions and recover further evidence.”
On Wednesday, two more accused arrested in connection with alleged embezzlement of donations meant for Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple were brought out of Ayodhya district jail. The court had given 14 hours remand to the police for custodial interrogation. The accused have been identified as Subhash Chandra Srivastava, a retired bank employee who supervised the cash-counting operation of the temple, and Ramashankar Mishra. Police officials took both of them out of jail for a day-long interrogation as part of the investigation into alleged misuse of temple donations.
So far, the police have interrogated four other accused, Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey, during their police custodial remand. Ayodhya court on Monday extended the judicial custody of all eight accused in the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case by 14 days. The accused appeared in the court through video conferencing and are scheduled to appear again on July 27.
SIT will submit final report soon
Meanwhile, sources said on Wednesday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the alleged embezzlement of donations in Ayodhya Ram temple may submit its final report to the Uttar Pradesh government within the next 24 to 48 hours (Thursday or Friday). Sources have also indicated that the time limit for SIT investigation will not be extended any further. The Uttar Pradesh government had given an extension of 15 days to the SIT on July 1. This extension was given to enable the SIT to expand the scope of its investigation and comprehensively investigate all aspects of the case.
Big revelations in initial investigation
The SIT’s preliminary report on the Ram Mandir donations controversy said that prima facie, around 70 suspicious incidents were recorded on CCTV between April 27 and June 5, 2026, and counting staff were seen hiding wads of cash in the CCTV footage. The preliminary report pointed out lapses and said that there were no searches at entry and exit, poor control over personal belongings and simultaneous counting of cash from multiple donation boxes were among the reasons that made the crime possible.
The report mentions recovery of approximately Rs 78.94 lakh from some employees before investigation. On June 4, 2026, an additional amount of Rs 2.25 lakh was allegedly recovered from the bathroom attached to the counting room. The report also said that no prima facie evidence was found to support the claims on social media about the disappearance of silver bricks or other precious offerings. (ANI)
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