Ram temple donation embezzlement probe widens; bank officials under scrutiny

The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple has widened, with Ayodhya Police conducting simultaneous raids on Sunday at the residences of all eight accused and expanding the probe to examine the role of bank officials who handled deposits of temple offerings, according to The Times of India (TOI).

Police teams, accompanied by local magistrates, searched the homes of the accused, including Lav Kush Mishra, Avinash Shukla and Ramashankar Yadav. The eight accused are currently in judicial custody till June 29 and will be produced before an Ayodhya court on Monday, when police are expected to seek their custodial remand for further questioning.

According to TOI, investigators plan to confront the accused with documentary evidence, CCTV footage and financial records to establish the alleged modus operandi, identify the role of others involved and recover more cash.


The probe has now expanded to examine whether standard banking procedures were followed while depositing large volumes of cash collected from the Ram temple's donation boxes. Police are investigating possible irregularities in cash handling, delayed deposits, discrepancies in recorded amounts and any alleged collusion at the banking level.

According to TOI, investigators are tracking the complete money trail from collection counters and counting centres to deposits in designated bank accounts. Officials linked to the banking process are likely to be questioned over cash reconciliation, deposit timelines, verification mechanisms and internal checks, while documents, transaction logs and CCTV footage are being cross-verified for inconsistencies.

Police also suspect the alleged embezzlement may not have been an isolated incident and are probing whether evidence was destroyed or manipulated to conceal discrepancies.

“Custodial questioning will help in recovering material evidence, verifying financial trails and identifying any additional persons involved,” a senior officer told TOI.

TOI reported that Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which deals with criminal misconduct by public servants, has been invoked in the FIR. The provision allows investigators to bring bank officials under the ambit of the case if they are found to have abused their official position, facilitated misappropriation or failed in their duties.

The eight accused — Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lav Kush Mishra, Ram Shankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava — were associated with handling donations received at the Ram temple, TOI reported.