Ayodhya Ram Temple Cash Theft: CCTV Footage Shows Accused Hiding Donation Money in Socks and Clothes
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Police investigating the theft of donation money at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have found visual proof of the crime. After scanning 45 days of CCTV footage from the temple's Pilgrim Facility Centre, officers say the recordings show at least five of the eight arrested men pulling bundles of currency notes out of counting piles and hiding them inside their clothes or socks.
The case began after the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which manages the temple, filed a complaint on June 25. Police registered an FIR and arrested eight men involved in counting money that devotees drop into donation boxes called hundis. The Trust had engaged around 50 people for this counting work.
Among those arrested are Ram Shankar Yadav, known as Tinnu Yadav, who previously worked as a driver for Trust general secretary Champat Rai, and Manish Kumar Yadav, who is Tinnu's nephew. Police have already searched properties linked to four of the accused, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla and Manish Yadav, and recovered nearly Rs 80 lakh in cash so far.
A key question is how these men got access to sensitive counting duties in the first place. Six of the eight accused were hired by the State Bank of India, which held the temple's donated funds, through a Varanasi-based manpower agency called Sainik Securities. The agency's director has said his firm typically supplies only housekeeping staff and had no say in choosing these particular workers, claiming that SBI itself provided the names and the agency merely verified their Aadhaar details before completing paperwork.
Police officers investigating the case say this points to a larger problem of casual, poorly supervised hiring at the temple. Several of the accused turn out to be relatives of each other or connected to Trust officials, suggesting appointments were made through personal contacts rather than proper screening. Officers also noted that the counting facility lacked strong access controls, such as frisking, which could have prevented theft.
Because the temple keeps CCTV recordings for only 45 days, investigators cannot determine how long this theft may have been going on before it was caught. Police are now examining financial documents recovered from the accused's homes to check whether any property or valuable assets were purchased using the stolen donation money.
The investigation has also widened to scrutinise bank employees who may have played a role, and a special team is examining other possible ways money could have been siphoned off from the temple's donations. The State Bank of India has not yet responded to questions about its vendor's claims regarding who selected the counting staff.
Why it matters
The Ram temple in Ayodhya is one of India's most significant religious sites, drawing enormous public donations meant for its upkeep and religious activities. This case exposes serious weaknesses in how such large sums of devotee money were handled, from casual hiring practices to weak physical security during counting. It raises accountability questions not just for the temple trust but also for a major public sector bank entrusted with safeguarding the funds, and highlights the need for stronger financial controls at institutions that manage large-scale public donations.
Test yourself
1. What did the CCTV footage from the Ram temple reportedly reveal?
2. Where does the money shown in the footage come from?
3. Who filed the complaint that led to the FIR in this case?
4. How many men were arrested in connection with the alleged theft?
5. What is the relationship between Tinnu Yadav and Manish Yadav, both among the accused?
6. Approximately how much cash have police recovered so far?
7. Through which agency were six of the eight accused hired for counting duties?
8. What did Sainik Securities' director claim about the hiring process?
9. Why can't police determine how long the theft had been occurring?
10. What broader issue have police officers pointed to during the investigation?
Your notes
Source: The Indian Express