CCTV Footage Shows 5 Of 8 Accused In Ram Temple Donation Theft Removing Cash, Shoving Them In Socks

Published 3 July 2026 · india

CCTV Footage Shows 5 Of 8 Accused In Ram Temple Donation Theft Removing Cash, Shoving Them In Socks Published By, Last Updated: July 03, 2026

CCTV Footage Shows 5 Of 8 Accused In Ram Temple Donation Theft Removing Cash, Shoving Them In Socks Published By, Last Updated: July 03, 2026, 08:31 IST The development comes against the backdrop of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations made by devotees to the Shri Ram Lalla shrine Ayodhya Bar Association push for FIR against Champat Rai over alleged donation theft at Ram Temple | Photo credit: PTI After scrutinising CCTV footage spanning the last 45 days at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, police found that five of the eight men arrested over the alleged donation theft at the temple were seen surreptitiously removing and concealing cash during the counting process. The development comes against the backdrop of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations made by devotees to the Shri Ram Lalla shrine at the Ayodhya-based temple. Footage recovered from the Pilgrim Facility Centre of the temple showed five of the eight arrested accused removing bundles of notes and hiding them in their clothes or socks, according to The Indian Express, citing police sources.

The outsourcing agency through which the counting personnel were hired by the Ram Temple authorities maintained that it did noy scout for the men, adding that the names were recommended for appointment by the State Bank of India (SBI), where donations are deposited. Sources revealed police searched premised linked to the accused featured in the footage, said the report. So far, approximately Rs 80 lakh have been recovered. The arrested accused are: Avinash Shukla, Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav and Subhash Srivastav. Tinnu Yadav is the driver of Champat Rai, the former general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. “During the counting, five individuals can be seen whisking away bundles of notes from the pile, hiding them in their clothes or shoving it in socks. Searches at the premises linked to these individuals have already led to recovery of cash. Unfortunately, the temple does not retain more than 45 days of CCTV footage. So we cannot say with certainty for how long this theft has been going on", an officer said, as quoted by The Indian Express.

Investigators are now examining if there were other ways the donation money was stolen from the temple. Employees of the bank are also under scanner. Champat Rai Grilled By SIT A three-member SIT questioned three key functionaries linked to the Ram Temple trust –– Champat Rai, Gopal Rao, and Anil Mishra –– for around six hours in connection with the ongoing probe. Rai recently stepped down as the general secretary of the trust in the face of mounting scrutiny over the allegations linked to embezzlement of funds at the temple. The controversy follows the allegation that valuables –– offered by devotees at the Ram Temple –– were replaced with fake items, besides money being stolen. On June 25, police registered an FIR into the matter following a complaint by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Rai, who is currently in seclusion, told CNN-News18 that he was “betrayed", adding he had installed hidden cameras on the temple premises which led to the detection of the theft. “I was betrayed. I was the who had installed hidden cameras to catch the theft", he said.