Theft at Ram temple: Police arrest eight, recover part of stolen money

Verma said they were sent to judicial custody for three days and will be produced again Monday before the Prevention of Corruption Act court for further proceedings.

According to Verma, no cash or valuables were recovered from Srivastav while Rs 79.80 lakh was recovered from the other accused.

Tinnu Yadav used to work as a driver for Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. According to an official, ever since the consecration of the idol in 2022, Tinnu had been involved in the functioning of affairs inside the temple.

Srivastav, a retired bank employee, was in-charge of the donation counting shifts at the counting room in the Pilgrim Facility Centre (PFC). The other six were involved in the counting work.

Verma said five-six serving bank employees were under the scanner for alleged embezzlement of funds and for conspiring with the arrested men. Their exact role and involvement were under investigation, he said.

There were allegations that some among the counting staff had been slipping extra notes into currency bundles of 100 each and these were later shared.

An officer said the police probe team, led by Ayodhya Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, will investigate the larger spectrum of the alleged theft and embezzlement.

The police team is likely to seek help from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was formed to probe the allegations. Police could ask the SIT for documents, including digital records, to assess the extent of the alleged theft and embezzlement, the officer said.

Another officer said the bank staff involved in carrying cash and valuables to the bank branch ever since 2022 will also be questioned by police – they had earlier been questioned by the SIT.

The FIR was lodged Thursday at Kotwali Ramjanmabhoomi police station on a complaint by Krishna Mohan, a member of the Trust, two days after the SIT submitted its preliminary findings to the UP government.

The allegations, the arrests, especially of Tinnu Yadav who used to work as a driver for Champat Rai, has both alarmed and upset RSS functionaries.

“It is a matter of concern for us. The Ram temple and its management are associated with the Sangh in public perception. It is casting a shadow. As an organisation, the Sangh always pushes for the highest standards of probity in public life,” a senior Sangh functionary told The Indian Express.

Another Sangh functionary described the episode as a systemic lapse rather than an act of individual wrongdoing. “This shows that the entire donation collection process was not fool-proof and was prone to leakages. Better systems should have been put in place,” the functionary said.