Ram Mandir ‘theft’: Champat Rai, trustee Anil Mishra questioned, another arrest likely, say police

Following court permission, a police team visited the jail Tuesday to question Avinash Shukla on the role of the private agency hired by the State Bank of India for counting of cash and its dispatch to the bank branch. Shukla, an official said, was recruited by the agency and the bank. It is likely that another arrest will be made soon, an official said.

Rai and Mishra, officials said, were the key persons behind the administration of the Ram temple and knew the eight accused.

While the Uttar Pradesh SIT already has collected details from Rai and Mishra, the police team investigating the case has also been making inquiries from them on the functioning of the temple affairs, especially about the donation boxes kept on two floors of the temple and the persons entrusted the task of monitoring the counting of the cash and valuables from the boxes.

The SBI was given the responsibility of ensuring the deposits in the bank branch and keeping the Trust informed. The bank, an official said, had hired a private agency for the counting of the cash and its deposit in the bank.

According to the official, all eight men were known to Champat Rai and Anil Mishra and it is being ascertained how many were recommended by each.

Sources said there was overreliance by the Trust on a battery of informal workers who had access to all parts of the complex, including the room where counting was done daily. These workers were volunteers who were paid monthly retainership and were assigned various duties, including for the counting of cash donations, sources said.

“The system was based more on trust and less on accountability,” a source said. “Since the Trust felt they were offering their services round the clock without any remuneration, it was decided to engage those interested at a fixed monthly compensation of around Rs 20,000.”

Following the FIR, sources said the informal staff may now be restricted to non-cash functions – prasad distribution, cooking, queue management, footwear and other facilities – while regular staff will be employed for more accountable functions, including cash counting. A specialised agency could also be engaged for cash handling, if need be, sources said.

More and more QR codes will be displayed in the complex to minimise cash contributions to an extent. Several other internal systems will also be audited and overhauled, sources said.