Jagran Correspondent | Ayodhya: In a recent development concerning the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft case, the Special Investigation Team disclosed that the accused executed the theft on several days as part of a premeditated conspiracy.
According to Jagran, the accused utilised their influence within the temple premises to identify and exploit blind spots hidden from the camera’s view. The investigating team is now trying to get access to the CCTV footage for the last 45 days of the donation counting room. The accused had become accustomed to committing the thefts over time, police said.
What did the CCTV footage reveal?
The SIT has secured CCTV footage from May 27 to June 5, which captures the accused stealing a massive amount of cash from the donation box and hiding it in their pockets and even their shoes. Additionally, a trust representative also handed over another significant CCTV recording related to the theft.
The investigation team revealed the theft. The investigation team disclosed that the accused conducted the theft over several consecutive days, completely bypassing security protocols. over several consecutive days during which the accused completely bypassed security protocols. Their entries and exits were not monitored like the common visitors and other members of the religious institution.
The severe leniency in security enforcement rules directly enabled the embezzlement of donations from the temple premises in the Ram Temple, SIT said. Eight accused individuals, including Anukalp Mishra, Avinash, Ramashankar Mishra, Lavkush, and Ramashankar Tinnu, are currently in custody facing these charges.
Earlier Findings
Earlier, the SIT was probing how and under what circumstances the accused, Tinnu Yadav, received access to the locker keys without official written permission.
The lapse has raised serious concerns, echoing questions previously flagged by a Ramlalla devotee from Madhya Pradesh identified as Abhishek Sharma. The probe revealed that Yadav had unauthorisedly brought his nephew, Manish Yadav, into the group responsible for managing the temple trust affairs.
Additionally, Anukalp Mishra, Luvkush Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey revealed that the money stolen during the counting of donations was distributed in a garden near Bhikhapur, on the Lucknow-Gorakhpur National Highway. The three accused were interrogated individually and later brought for a joint interrogation regarding