Ayodhya: Local Police on Sunday carried out simultaneous raids at the residences of all eight accused in the Ram Temple donation theft case, a day before they are scheduled to be produced before a court.
Eight police teams, each comprising male and female officers and accompanied by local magistrates, conducted coordinated searches across Ayodhya to trace the money trail, gather additional evidence, and examine the assets and financial dealings of the accused and their families. The teams first verified the addresses before moving in simultaneously. The operation included searches at the homes of key accused, including prime suspect Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav.
The raids come two days after a local court remanded the eight men to judicial custody till June 29. Police are expected to seek further custodial remand when the accused are produced before the Special Court on Monday.
The accused — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, and Subhash Srivastava — were arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations that cash and valuables donated by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple were misappropriated. The men were part of the staff responsible for counting offerings from the temple’s donation boxes.
They have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for theft by servant, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR was registered at Kotwali Ramjanmabhoomi police station on a complaint by a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
So far, investigators have recovered approximately ₹79.85 lakh linked to the case from seven of the eight accused. During Sunday’s raids, police also questioned family members and neighbours about any sudden changes in the financial condition or lifestyle of the accused in recent years. No details of fresh recoveries have been released yet.
The investigation is being widened to track the full extent of the alleged misappropriation and identify any other assets. The case follows a preliminary report by the three-member SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government. The temple trust has stated that silver bricks, jewellery, and other personal offerings remain safe and fully accounted for.