Fresh developments have surfaced in the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Investigators have obtained a photograph believed to show two of the accused, Avinash Shukla and Anukalp Mishra, inside the temple’s cash counting facility. Both Shukla and Mishra are among the eight individuals arrested in connection with the case.
The image has become a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation, placing the accused inside the room where offerings made by devotees were counted and processed. Police sources reveal that the accused allegedly took advantage of weaknesses in the surveillance system. It is claimed that the CCTV control room was not adequately monitored initially, allowing the accused to remove cash without immediate detection.
The investigation has also focused on the recruitment process of staff handling temple donations. The Trust reportedly recruited 10 new employees in March 2025 to manage the increased flow of devotees. Anil Mishra, a trustee and an accused in the case, was delegated complete authority over the recruitment of cash-counting personnel by then Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, who has since resigned.
