Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Case: Ayodhya police are digging deeper into the case of alleged theft and misuse of donation money from the Ram temple. Eight people have been arrested so far, and they come from very different backgrounds. Among them are a primary school teacher, a retired bank employee, a former automobile mechanic and a close helper of a senior Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust official.
Most of the accused were hired as contract workers through an outsourcing agency, and police say they used their work in the donation-counting system to take away devotees’ cash over time. The FIR in the case was filed on June 25 after an SIT preliminary report.
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Police are now checking bank records, assets, cash trails and digital proof to understand how the whole thing worked. Investigators are also looking at CCTV footage and financial movements linked to each accused. One important lead is that some of the money was allegedly hidden inside washrooms and taken out in small bits so it would not be noticed.
Who are the Accused?
Avinash Shukla
Primary school teacher Avinash Shukla is being treated as the main accused in the case. Police sources told PTI and other reports that more than Rs 20 lakh in cash, foreign currency and jewellery were found from places linked to him. That is the biggest recovery among all the arrested men. During questioning, he allegedly said the cash was moved by taking advantage of CCTV blind spots and hiding it in washrooms before it was smuggled out.
Anukalp Mishra
Anukalp Mishra, who worked in the donation-counting unit through an outsourcing agency, was reportedly getting around Rs 15,000 a month. Investigators are looking at assets linked to him, including a house worth around Rs 65 lakh, a farmhouse, a premium motorcycle and an SUV that was booked. Police say they recovered around Rs 16.8 lakh from searches linked to him.
Lavkush Mishra
Former automobile mechanic Lavkush Mishra is also accused of helping divert donations. Police say around Rs 14.25 lakh was recovered from him during the probe.
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Ramshankar Mishra
Ramshankar Mishra, who handled cash inside the secure counting room, is said to have played a similar role, and police claim around Rs 7.3 lakh was found in searches linked to him.
Tinnu Yadav as the main Accused
Police have also named Ramshankar Yadav, better known as Tinnu Yadav, as one of the main people in the alleged plan. He first worked as the personal driver of Trust general secretary Champat Rai and later became a trusted aide in temple work and VIP management. Investigators say he had no right to access the keys of the donation-counting room and donation boxes, and his WhatsApp chats are being checked too.
Tinnu Yadav’s Nephew
The other accused are Manish Kumar Yadav, who is Tinnu Yadav’s nephew and part of the counting team, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, a retired bank employee brought in to supervise counting, and Karunesh Pandey, a contract worker who opened donation boxes and counted cash. Police say all three helped in the alleged conspiracy. More than Rs 18 lakh in cash was reportedly found in searches linked to Pandey.
What will Happen now?
The Trust is set to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to review the matter and talk about the alleged irregularities. Meanwhile, police are still going through CCTV clips, financial papers and digital evidence.
They are also checking whether some of the accused had assets that were much bigger than what their known income could explain. A bigger cash trail of more than Rs 77 lakh has also emerged in the probe, along with recoveries of gold, silver and foreign currency.
