Police investigating the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple in Ayodhya have uncovered evidence that misappropriated money was invested in shares, lent at interest and moved through accounts belonging to relatives and associates of the accused.
The expanding financial inquiry has prompted investigators to freeze about 30 bank accounts suspected of receiving or holding diverted offerings. Transaction records are being matched with securities investments, cash deposits, vehicle purchases and other assets to determine the scale of the alleged operation.
During questioning, accused persons Anukalp Mishra and Avinash Shukla allegedly told investigators that part of the money was placed in the share market and distributed as interest-bearing loans. Police suspect the routing of funds through third-party accounts was intended to conceal their source before the money was transferred back or used for personal expenditure.
Searches at premises linked to three accused led to the seizure of cash, gold jewellery and a car. Officials have not publicly specified the value of the latest cash seizure or identified the properties from which individual items were recovered.
The Special Investigation Team has identified Shukla, 30, as the principal accused in its preliminary findings. A primary school teacher assigned to cash reconciliation during donation-counting sessions, he is suspected of playing a central role in organising repeated thefts from the temple’s counting system.
Eight people have been arrested in the case. They are Shukla, Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava. The first information report also refers to unnamed suspects, leaving open the possibility of more arrests.
Investigators have recovered about ₹79.85 lakh in cash from seven accused. No cash was found with Srivastava, who was responsible for supervising donation counting. Foreign currency, jewellery and a donation chest bearing the words “Ramrajya Kosh” were among other items recovered during searches.
The chest found at Shukla’s residence was reportedly fitted with a QR code for digital payments, adding another line of inquiry into whether donations were diverted outside the temple’s authorised collection system. Police are examining mobile phones, digital payment records and banking data to establish whether electronic transfers accompanied the alleged removal of cash.
The preliminary investigation has documented nearly 70 suspected instances of theft over about 40 days. CCTV footage allegedly showed members of the counting team removing currency during the handling and reconciliation of offerings.
The findings have also exposed serious weaknesses in the temple’s internal safeguards. Investigators found that mandatory frisking was not consistently conducted, access controls were weak and CCTV feeds were not monitored effectively. Procedures intended to ensure that donation counting took place under continuous supervision were allegedly ignored.
Responsibility for the lapses has been linked to senior personnel overseeing the system, including former trust member Anil Mishra and counting in-charge Srivastava. The investigation has not established criminal liability against every official associated with the administrative failures, and further questioning is expected.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has responded with changes to its leadership and administrative arrangements. The resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra were accepted, while Krishna Mohan was appointed interim general secretary. A committee has also been formed to recruit a new chief executive officer.
The trust has said accountability and transparency will guide the restructuring of donation management. It has received ₹3,264 crore through its fundraising campaign and corpus contributions since its formation, while ₹2,370 crore has been spent on temple construction and religious activities.
