Hid money in washrooms: What Ram Mandir donation theft accused told cops

After receiving court permission, police interrogated Avinash Shukla for nearly two hours on Tuesday, during which he admitted to stealing crores of rupees and described the alleged sequence of events.

In Short

• Avinash Shukla confessed to stealing crores in Ayodhya temple donation case
• Shukla revealed misuse of donation counting access, CCTV gaps to evade detection
• Rs 58 lakh recovered from his house before FIR registration, more money returned later

One of the eight accused arrested in the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case has revealed that the stolen money was temporarily hidden in washrooms before being moved out, while also detailing the method used to avoid detection and loopholes in the donation counting system, police sources said.

After receiving court permission, police interrogated Avinash Shukla for nearly two hours on Tuesday, during which he admitted to stealing crores of rupees and described the alleged sequence of events.

During the questioning, the accused also spoke about temple trustee Anil Mishra, claiming that he played an important role in the donation counting process.

Mishra and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai resigned last week as questions mounted over the handling of donations and oversight mechanisms at the temple.

Besides Shukla, the seven others arrested in the case are Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav, described as a close associate of Champat Rai; counting in-charge Subhash Srivastava; counting staff members Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Ram Shankar Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey.

COUNTING ROOM ACCESS, CCTV GAPS

According to sources, Avinash Shukla told police that Tinnu Yadav had access to one of the keys to the donation counting room, while the second key remained with bank employees.

He claimed the money was stolen through a coordinated effort involving multiple people, with one person allegedly taking the cash while others created a cover around him.

Investigators were told that all the accused were familiar with the location of cameras installed inside the complex. They allegedly used this knowledge to avoid detection and hid the money in places such as bathrooms before removing it later whenever they found an opportunity.

Shukla further claimed that their proximity to people associated with the trust meant they faced little suspicion and were not closely monitored.

SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, MONEY TRAIL

The accused also told police that cameras installed inside the temple complex were monitored from a control room, but surveillance staff were not actively tracking their movements.

Shukla further added that the stolen money was allegedly used to purchase land and a house.

Police are now examining the financial trail and assets linked to the accused as part of the investigation. The investigation also focusses on how the theft continued for a period of time without detection and whether more people were involved.

RS 58 LAKH RECOVERED BEFORE SIT PROBE

In the wake of the theft allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 to probe the case.

It was, however, revealed earlier this week that the Trust recovered Rs 58 lakh from Avinash Shukla's house on June 5, which predates the registration of the FIR into the case.

Meanwhile, the remaining money was returned via bank transfers between June 5 to 8.

This suggests that efforts to recover the embezzled money had already begun before the matter formally entered the legal process.

- Ends