The sacred complex of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir has recently been shaken by financial discrepancies, prompting immediate intervention by both temple authorities and state officials. Discrepancies first surfaced when the Mandir committee noticed a mismatch between the physical cash collected inside the donation boxes and the actual amounts being deposited into the bank. To uncover how this was happening, the committee installed hidden cameras in the specific areas where the staff counted and organized the offerings.

The strategy worked. The hidden camera footage captured a highly coordinated operation. Staff members were seen strategically standing directly in front of the regular CCTV cameras to block their view while pocketing cash. The footage also exposed another method: the handlers would insert extra currency notes into bundled stacks, only to pull them out later while transport teams were en route to the bank. Beyond cash, the suspects also targeted precious jewelry donated by devout followers. While rumors circulated that 200 kilograms of silver had also vanished from the temple stores, investigators officially debunked those claims as entirely baseless.

The Initial Inquiry and Accountability

Following instructions from the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was established earlier this month to conduct a preliminary investigation. Based on the initial findings of the SIT and a formal complaint submitted by a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, law enforcement officially filed a First Information Report (FIR). The FIR was filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61, and 3(5).

As the scale of the investigation intensified, high-level resignations took place within the management structure. Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra stepped down from their official administrative roles on moral grounds. While neither Rai nor Mishra has been named as an accused party in the FIR, the fallout directly impacted their offices. Rai initially rejected the accusations regarding the theft of donation funds, but he subsequently welcomed the SIT intervention that ultimately triggered the crackdown.

Friday Morning Arrests and Legal Custody

Following the formal registration of the FIR, local police took decisive action on Friday morning, June 26th, capturing eight individuals specifically named in the case documents. Because the specialized anti-corruption court was not in session on the day of their capture, the suspects were quickly remanded to judicial custody until Monday. They are scheduled to make their first official appearance before the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act when regular operations resume.

All eight individuals were employed in core roles that gave them direct physical access to the temple's daily offerings. Their duties included collecting, sorting, counting, and bundling the high volumes of cash and valuables brought by worshippers. According to official confirmations provided by police and prosecution representatives, investigators have successfully recovered a total sum of ₹79,85,493 from the suspects, with the sole exception of Subhash Srivastava.

Profiles of the Eight Arrested Suspects

The network of individuals involved shows deep ties to the temple's internal logistics, with five out of the eight accused directly linked to the two high-ranking Trust members who resigned.

• Ram Shankar Yadav (alias Tinnu Yadav): Once a local autorickshaw driver in Ayodhya, Yadav later joined the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and eventually secured a position as the personal chauffeur for the Trust’s general secretary, Champat Rai. He was also closely tied to the VHP's Karsevakpuram operations, where donation counting took place. Because of his everyday proximity to elite Trust members, Yadav grew highly influential within the temple's day-to-day management system. Investigators state that he held physical custody of the keys to the donation boxes and wielded significant control over how donations were secured, counted, and transported. Allegations have surfaced claiming he accumulated a personal property portfolio valued at over ₹50 crore by siphoning off cash, gold, silver, and diamond offerings. Yadav has strongly denied any role in handling the funds, countering that his ₹50 crore land holdings were purchased back in 2008 entirely from his past earnings as an auto driver.

• Manish Yadav: He is the biological nephew of Tinnu Yadav. Working alongside his uncle, Manish was actively integrated into the daily cash-counting process. Police teams executed search operations at his residence and successfully recovered a portion of the stolen money hidden inside his home.

• Ramashankar Mishra (alias Ravi Mishra): A key figure in the cash-sorting room, Mishra is accused of systematically siphoning off donation money by working in close coordination with other temple employees. Surveillance footage from the hidden cameras caught him in the act during the cash-sorting process. Investigators state that Mishra intentionally bypassed the temple's established financial protocols over an extended timeframe to make the ongoing thefts possible. He also expanded the operation by bringing in his own family members, securing handling jobs for both his son and his son-in-law.

• Anukalp Mishra: The son of Ramashankar Mishra, Anukalp worked directly in the donation counting room. He is a resident of Basawan village, located within the Milkipur area of Ayodhya. Beyond his immediate family ties to the counting room, he is a relative of former Trustee Anil Mishra and the brother-in-law of fellow co-accused Lavkush Mishra. Law enforcement officials recovered stolen funds during a raid on his private residence.

• Lavkush Mishra: The son-in-law of Ramashankar Mishra and brother-in-law to Anukalp, Lavkush was also a regular member of the cash-counting team. Prosecutors allege that he worked in tandem with Anukalp to actively drain funds out of the daily collections. His actions were documented by the hidden surveillance system, and police recovered approximately ₹12 lakh in cash directly from his house.

• Avinash Shukla: Employed as a temple attendant, Shukla was assigned to the core internal team responsible for handling and processing incoming cash and physical offerings. During the financial tracking phase of the probe, investigators discovered and seized an amount of ₹5 lakh sitting directly inside his personal bank account.

• Subhash Shrivastava: A former banking professional, Shrivastava was brought in specifically to serve as the supervisor in charge of the cash-counting staff. Because of his formal banking background, temple administrators entrusted him to oversee the verification and handling process. He is the only individual among the eight arrested from whom no stolen cash has been recovered so far.

• Karunesh Pandey: Pandey worked inside the core team handling the daily offerings from devotees. He faces specific accusations of abusing his position to deliberately manipulate internal financial records and receipts to mask the missing incoming donations.

  ???? BIG RESIGNATION Champat Rai has resigned, the Ram Mandir Trust Treasurer has confirmed. — This is the biggest resignation so far in the Ram Mandir embezzlement case. (India TV) pic.twitter.com/d6nNEp0zNc — The Analyzer (News Updates????️) (@Indian_Analyzer) June 27, 2026