SIT is tightening its grip on VHP’s Champat Rai in the Ayodhya temple donation theft case. CCTV footage of 5 accused taking money has surfaced. BJP leader Vinay Katiyar has expressed the fear of Rai and other trustees going to jail.
New Delhi: In the case of donation theft in Ayodhya temple, the noose is being tightened against Champat Rai, former general secretary of the trust and vice president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had questioned Champat Rai yesterday and has given him a notice to appear again. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar has said that Champat Rai and other officials of the trust can go to jail. The police have got a CCTV footage, in which the accused are seen taking out the donated money. This is being considered a major turning point in the investigation.
Champat Rai is finding it difficult to escape from this case, which is considered to be one of the biggest temple scams of the country. SIT has interrogated him twice and called him again. It is possible that today or in the coming days there will be questions and answers from him again. Sources say that Rai is avoiding important questions and is only giving answers that prove his innocence. Tinku Yadav, who has been working with Rai for 20 years, has said in his statement that Rai was aware of this scam. Even the last interview of the people appointed to count the donations was conducted by Champat Rai and Anil Mishra only. Ayodhya Bar Association is also pressurizing for the arrest of Champat Rai.
Vinay Katiyar’s statement that trustees Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao can also go to jail along with Rai is being considered very important. Katiyar told that he had also talked to the Prime Minister about this scam, on which the PM asked what would happen in the future.
Meanwhile, a CCTV footage has surfaced in which 5 accused are seen taking out money from the donation box and taking it out of the temple. The footage shows that the money is first taken to the toilet and then taken out through several people. According to the investigation team, it is clear from the footage of 45 days that a crowd was made to stand in front of the CCTV cameras installed outside to avoid them. Let us tell you that the Trust had hired 50 people to count the donations.
On the other hand, the Yogi government is preparing to demolish those houses, which can become ‘memorials’ of this scam. It is believed that these houses are being built with stolen money. After Luv Kush Mishra, Ayodhya Development Authority has now given notice to another accused Anukalp Mishra to demolish his house.