Ram Mandir staff seen concealing wads of cash in shoes, clothes: SIT probe

Ayodhya: A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has uncovered 'serious security lapses' and 'systematic' cash theft at the Ram Mandir's counting room in Ayodhya, with staff allegedly concealing wads of cash and around 70 suspicious incidents captured on CCTV.

Ram Temple Donation Theft SIT Probe : A preliminary SIT probe found serious security lapses and 'systematic' cash concealment by staff at the Ram Mandir counting room.

CCTV footage between April 27 and June 5 captured approximately 70 suspicious incidents of staff allegedly hiding cash bundles.

Lapses included no frisking at entry/exit points, poor oversight of personal belongings, and commingling of cash from donation boxes.

Six individuals have been identified with prima facie evidence of involvement, and approximately Rs 78.94 lakh has been recovered.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted resignations and removed a special invitee member following the irregularities.
 
A preliminary probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) pointed towards serious security lapses in the counting room of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, stating that staff allegedly concealed wads of cash in their clothes, pockets, shoes, and other personal belongings and suggested that the alleged theft was 'systematic' and repeated, rather than being isolated incidents.

SIT Findings and Security Lapses : According to the SIT, CCTV footage reviewed between April 27 and June 5 captured around 70 suspicious incidents of counting staff allegedly seen concealing cash bundles.

The SIT's preliminary findings pointed to lapses in the security protocols.

It said that there was 'no frisking for staff at the entry and exit points of the counting hall, along with poor oversight of personal belongings carried in and out by employees'.

The report noted that cash from multiple donation boxes was counted together rather than being segregated.

The SIT has identified six persons with prima facie evidence of involvement in the alleged theft, including Avinash Shukla, Anukool Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramshankar Mishra.

The report mentioned that approximately Rs 78.94 lakh has been recovered from some of the employees even before the investigation got underway.

A further Rs 2.25 lakh was allegedly recovered from the counting room itself on June 4.

Ongoing Investigation and Trust's Response : The SIT stated that some employees showed deposits and transactions disproportionate to their declared income.

It also flagged lapses in CCTV monitoring, non-compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs), supervision of counting staff, and security arrangements inside the counting room.

Addressing social media claims about missing silver bricks and other valuable offerings from the temple, the SIT said: "It found no prima facie evidence to support such allegations."

The SIT has described its findings as preliminary, with further investigation and legal action still underway.

Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which met on Monday, accepted the resignations of general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra and announced some administrative measures.

According to a press release issued after a meeting of the trustees in Ayodhya, the Trust also decided to remove Gopal Nagarkote from the list of special invitee members. The meeting reviewed the alleged irregularities, the ongoing investigation, media reports, and interim administrative arrangements.

'Upon learning of irregularities, Trust officials gathered initial information and requested an impartial investigation from the Uttar Pradesh government, which subsequently formed a high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT),' the release stated.