GUWAHATI: A major donation theft racket has been uncovered at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, with eight people arrested over allegations of embezzling cash and jewellery donated by devotees. The case has also led to the reported resignation of two senior office-bearers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, who stepped down citing moral responsibility.
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The alleged fraud came to light after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust noticed discrepancies between the donations received and the amounts deposited. According to reports, the Trust installed hidden cameras inside the temple's donation-counting room, where surveillance allegedly captured employees siphoning off cash and jewellery from donation boxes before they were officially recorded.
Following the discovery, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 at the request of the Trust.
The SIT submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23.
Two days later, police arrested eight persons named in an FIR registered in connection with the alleged embezzlement. The accused have been identified as Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Manish Yadav, Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Subhash Chandra Srivastava, Karunesh Pandey and another accused. Among those arrested is a close aide of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, according to reports.
The accused have been booked under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant), 316 (criminal breach of trust), 317 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 61 (criminal conspiracy), along with other applicable provisions.
Investigators said those named in the FIR were associated with the process of counting cash and valuables donated by devotees at the temple.
Meanwhile, Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra reportedly submitted their resignations on Friday, June 26,taking moral responsibility for the incident. The Trust, however, has denied any institutional wrongdoing and has maintained that it itself initiated the probe after detecting irregularities.
The Ram Mandir has witnessed a steady flow of devotees since its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, receiving an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 visitors every day, with footfall increasing significantly during weekends and festivals. Devotees deposit offerings in around 35 donation boxes installed across the temple complex.
According to the Trust's annual report for FY 2024-25, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust reported total earnings of nearly ₹327 crore. Donations accounted for around ₹153 crore, while interest income contributed approximately ₹173 crore.
