New details have emerged in the high-profile Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case, revealing massive financial fraud and frantic attempts by the suspects to cover their tracks. According to investigative sources, several individuals under the scanner experienced an exponential surge in wealth—some seeing their net worth skyrocket up to 100 times in an incredibly short period.
The illicit funds were reportedly splurged on luxury assets, including residential plots, land, and hotels, which completely misaligned with the suspects’ legal sources of income.
Key Revelations in the Investigation
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The Fallout: The multi-crore scam came to light not through an internal audit, but because of an internal dispute among the suspects over how to divide the stolen money.
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Evidence Destruction: Upon realizing they were being investigated, the suspects scrambled to delete digital footprints. Many formatted their mobile phones and wiped WhatsApp chat histories to destroy critical evidence.
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The Scale of Theft: Roughly ₹7.75 crore in donations is believed to have been embezzled. So far, law enforcement has managed to recover ₹80 lakh.
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Caught on Camera: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has made CCTV footage, phone logs, and electronic data the foundation of their case. The core accused were caught on camera embezzling cash and jewelry while assigned to count the temple’s collection boxes.
Arrests and High-Profile Fallout
The SIT is currently investigating 30 individuals, with eight temple workers already in custody.
| Arrested Suspects |
| Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav |
| Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, Ramashankar (alias Tinnu Yadav) |
The sudden lifestyle upgrade of the accused did not go unnoticed. Family members, including the aunt of accused Anukalp Mishra, confirmed to police that the family’s lifestyle changed dramatically after he began working with the temple trust. Raid teams are currently auditing all assets acquired by the accused since the temple’s inauguration.
Trust Officials Under Scrutiny
The probe has expanded beyond the ground-level workers. Security personnel, control room in-charges, and high-ranking temple trust officials are all being aggressively investigated.
Major Leadership Exit: Amid growing scrutiny, Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, resigned on moral grounds.
Nripendra Mishra, head of the Temple Construction Committee, revealed that the gravity of the donation theft has drawn serious concern from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Departmental and legal actions are expected to intensify as the SIT finalizes its report.
