Eight Arrested in Ram Mandir Donation Embezzlement Case in India

Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested eight people in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme involving donations made to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The arrests were made after a special investigation team presented a report, supported by oral, documentary, and electronic evidence, to the state government.

Among those arrested are individuals with familial ties to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust member Anil Mishra. Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra, who are related to each other and also to Anil Mishra, were reportedly involved in the daily donation counting process. Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’, a close aide and chauffeur to the Trust's general secretary Champat Rai, was also apprehended. Yadav, who joined the temple management after its inauguration, was involved in security, counting, and transportation of offerings.

Several of the arrested individuals were bank employees outsourced by the State Bank of India (SBI) to count cash donations at the temple. Prosecution officer KC Verma stated that five to six of the accused were bank employees drawing salaries from SBI. These individuals were responsible for handling and counting the cash and valuables offered by devotees.

Other arrested individuals include Manish Yadav, son of Ram Shankar Yadav’s younger brother, who was involved in the donation-counting process. Subhash Srivastava, a former bank employee, was in charge of cash counting at the temple. Karunesh Pandey is accused of manipulating financial receipts related to donations. Ramashankar Mishra and Avinash Shukla were part of the team responsible for handling and counting donations, with Ramashankar Mishra reportedly caught on CCTV siphoning off money during the sorting process.