Ram Temple Donation Scam Deepens: SIT Finds 70 Suspected Thefts, Trust Reshuffle Intensifies

The alleged donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has intensified, with investigators expanding the probe into what they describe as a well-organised racket while the controversy has snowballed into a major political flashpoint. As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) tightened its investigation on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath defended the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust , accusing the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of attempting to malign Ayodhya and insult the legacy of Lord Ram.

The SIT's preliminary findings have identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in an alleged 40-day operation involving nearly 70 suspected instances of theft from the temple's donation-counting system. Investigators say CCTV footage, bank transaction records, witness statements and recoveries have established a strong evidence trail against Shukla and five others, while two additional accused have been linked to the alleged conspiracy. Eight people have been arrested so far.

On Wednesday, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey were taken into police custody after a local court granted a 24-hour remand, enabling investigators to confront them with fresh evidence and carry out searches to recover additional cash and valuables allegedly linked to the case.

According to the investigation, police have recovered more than ₹79 lakh , including ₹20.39 lakh in cash, USD 1,121, gold and silver ornaments, other valuables and an SUV from Shukla alone. The SIT has also flagged significant security and procedural lapses in the temple's donation management system, including inadequate frisking of staff, weak CCTV monitoring and poor supervisory mechanisms that allegedly enabled repeated thefts. A re-audit of the Trust's accounts for the last five years has also been ordered, while officials responsible for supervising the donation-counting process are under scrutiny.

The fallout has extended to the temple administration. Former general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra have resigned from the Trust, while Gopal Rao , who was removed as the Trust's administrator and specially invited member, vacated his accommodation inside the temple complex on Wednesday and shifted to Karsevak Puram.

Addressing a public gathering in Chitrakoot after inaugurating development projects worth over ₹950 crore , Adityanath said the SIT was constituted only after the Trust itself sought a thorough investigation into allegations of theft during donation counting. He asserted that while nearly 150 people were engaged in counting offerings, evidence had emerged against only eight individuals , arguing that the actions of a handful of accused should not be used to defame the entire Trust.