Ayodhya Ram temple donation case: SIT names Avinash Shukla as main accused

A preliminary SIT report has identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the alleged theft of donations made by devotees at the Ram Temple here, linking him to a suspected 40-day scam involving nearly 70 cases of theft from the donation counting system, sources said on Wednesday.

Employees stole cash, security protocols not enforced: Ram Temple SIT report

The interim findings of the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) were discussed during a meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday, sources associated with the temple said.

According to a preliminary report, Shukla, who was engaged to count the monetary offerings of devotees at the temple, was named accused No. 1 after investigators found what they described as the strongest trail of evidence against him.

The report said the alleged operation revolved around Shukla and helped investigators identify five other accused and reconstruct the suspected modus operandi inside the temple’s counting room.

The nine-page report, submitted to Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad on June 23, described the 30-year-old as the focal point of the investigation, sources said.

The SIT has, prima facie, identified nearly 70 cases of alleged theft from the counting room of the temple over a period of about 40 days, they added.

According to sources, repeated examination of CCTV footage allegedly showed Shukla carrying away and hiding wads of donated cash and loose currency notes on various occasions during the counting.

Investigators are said to have relied heavily on the footage to track the movement of money and identify the alleged roles of other participants.

The report said the evidence against Shukla was corroborated by CCTV footage, recovery records, analysis of bank accounts and witness statements, making him the first of the six accused to be prima facie proved to be involved, sources said.

The footage also allegedly showed Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey assisting Shukla in hiding and removing the donated money, while Manish Kumar Yadav allegedly coordinated with him inside the counting room, according to sources.

Separate footage provided by representatives of the temple trust allegedly showed Rama Shankar Mishra handling and hiding cash packets, they added.

Based on the materials examined so far, the SIT has concluded that prima facie involvement of all the six accused has been established, sources said.

The probe went beyond CCTV footage. During the searches conducted by the Ayodhya police, investigators recovered Rs 20.39 crore in cash, USD 1,121, gold and silver ornaments, other valuables and an SUV from Shukla’s property – the largest haul of any accused arrested in the case, according to the report.

Investigators also found that cash deposits and bank transactions were allegedly disproportionate to Shukla’s known income.

The report said that employees hired by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to count donations are paid a monthly salary of a little over Rs 15,000 after deductions, while Shukla’s banking activities prior to his arrest were substantially higher than his known income.

Shukla was also the first accused to be taken into police custody during the investigation. During searches at his residence, the police found a donation box with the inscription ‘Ramrajya Kosh’ on it with an active QR code, sources said.

The police have also searched his native residence in Pratapgarh district and are checking his properties there, besides probing his financial transactions and cash holdings over the past few years, the sources added.

The case came to light after allegations of theft of donations from devotees from the Ram temple.

So far eight people have been arrested in connection with the case – Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Rama Shankar alias Tinnu.

On Monday, a local court granted a one-day remand to Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey after investigators told the court that fresh evidence emerged during the interrogation of the five accused, who were earlier taken into police custody.

According to police, more than Rs 79 crore have been recovered from the accused so far, apart from Subhash Srivastava, who investigators continue to consider to be part of the alleged conspiracy.

The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member SIT to investigate the case. The probe has since expanded beyond the original FIR.

The team has also ordered a re-audit of the trust’s accounts for the last five years and is examining the expenditure incurred on major events in the last two years.

It highlighted alleged security and procedural lapses in the temple’s donation management system, including insufficient vetting of staff, poor CCTV monitoring and weak controls, which investigators say allowed cash to be allegedly withdrawn repeatedly without immediate detection.

The SIT is also probing the role of officials responsible for overseeing the donation counting process.

Published – 8 Jul 2026 14:56 IST