LUCKNOW: A significant rise in the financial status of most of those accused of siphoning off donations to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has come to light during the investigation. They have built decent houses and were found using SUVs though their monthly income from known sources was between Rs 14,000 and Rs 15,000, according to officers close to the investigation.While the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report is yet to be made public, TOI has learnt key details of its findings and recommendations.Also read: From ignored warnings to Rs 6-8 lakh daily theft, 10 things we know so farAvinash Shukla sold drinking water near Hanuman Gufa in Ayodhya before securing a job at the temple’s donation counting centre. He hails from Pratapgarh and has gone on to build a house in Ayodhya.On Saturday night, a Maruti Brezza belonging to Shukla was seized by Ayodhya police.Another accused, Lavkush Mishra, purchased a 1,000-sq-ft plot on Oct 16 last year in Banipur locality, in Ayodhya’s Sohawal area. The sale deed reportedly reflects a registered value of Rs 8.8 lakh.However, residents claimed that plots of similar size in the area typically command a market value of around Rs 24 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, raising questions about valuation and source of funds.Lavkush’s wife received a notice from the Ayodhya Development Authority to show the papers for the land.‘Donation chori’ was flagged by many but these warnings landed on deaf ears‘Proof’ Surfaced By End Of May, But No FIR Was Lodged As ‘It Would Bring Temple Into Disrepute’Similarly, Ramshankar Yadav, alias Tinnu, built a hostel. He was initially a driver. The embezzlement was flagged by multiple people even before a Samajwadi Party politician went public, but these warnings were ignored and things spun out of control. Some temple trust members reportedly detected irregularities in the counting process around three months before the case surfaced. Changes in personnel involved were also recommended. Investigators are now examining whether those recommendations were acted upon, and if not, why.By the end of May, when proof reportedly surfaced, some of them took help from local police in “raiding” the suspects and recovering the booty. But no FIR was lodged. They believed an FIR was not required if recoveries had been effected as it would bring the temple into “disrepute”.According to the officers, bank officials questioned by the SIT have given an estimate of the amount allegedly stolen every day. According to them, before the theft came to light, deposits to Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s bank accounts averaged Rs 16 to Rs 18 lakh per day. After the case surfaced, however, the amount rose to Rs 24 to Rs 26 lakh per day. Based on these bank figures, investigators estimate that Rs 6 to Rs 8 lakh was being siphoned off daily.Five of the eight accused have been seen in CCTV footage; some of them were masking CCTV coverage. Investigators are also analysing CCTV footage that allegedly shows five of the eight accused handling cash suspiciously during the counting process. They hid cash in pockets and socks and hid this temporarily in the temple bathrooms before smuggling it out in small tranches. The SOP mandated clothing without pockets for counting staff but this was clearly ignored.The Maha Kumbh period recorded a spike in footfall at the Ram temple, and a surge in donations. That was the time when the maximum theft is suspected to have taken place, officers said on the basis of questioning of the accused.Sources said that on any given day, the average footfall at the temple is between 80,000 and 1 lakh. During the 45-day Maha Kumbh window in 2025, between Jan 13 and Feb 26, it rose to 10 to 12 lakh on peak days. It was then that the bank sent a formal letter to the trust requesting more manpower to count the increased volume of cash. The trust then asked the bank to hire more people as the existing staff and counting machines were inadequate to handle the surge. The bank then hired nearly 40-45 counting staff through a Varanasi-based agency. Many of these appointees were recommended by a handful of trust members.There was no systematic bookkeeping or tracking of gold, silver, and jewellery donations, making them incredibly easy targets. The trust had, in the first phase, sent 9.44 quintals (944 kg) of silver to the govt-run mint for testing and melting as part of a process to assess the quality and quantity of precious metals received from devotees.The probe team has sought records related to ornaments and other precious donations, along with details of transactions carried out with the Printing and Minting Corp of India.
