Ram temple donation theft accused bought Maruti Brezza using stolen funds: Cops
Fresh revelations have emerged in the theft of donation money from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, with police claiming to have recovered a car allegedly
Fresh revelations have emerged in the theft of donation money from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, with police claiming to have recovered a car allegedly purchased using stolen funds by the main accused, Avinash Shukla. According to investigators, the recovered vehicle — Maruti Brezza — was allegedly bought using money siphoned off from temple donations and registered in the name of Shukla’s brother, Abhishek, in an apparent attempt to conceal ownership. Read Full Story The recovery was made during Shukla’s police remand, during which investigators took him to multiple locations to reconstruct the alleged conspiracy and verify evidence.
Police first took the accused to a yoga centre in Ayodhya’s Kaushalpuri area, which investigators believe is linked to the case. He was later taken to a secluded stretch along the 14-Kosi Parikrama Marg near the Lucknow–Ayodhya highway. According to police, the location was allegedly used by the accused and his associates to distribute stolen donation money after the theft. Officials said the site visits formed part of the ongoing investigation to corroborate the accused’s statements, establish the sequence of events and gather additional evidence in the case. The latest development came a day after Ayodhya Police took Shukla into custody on a 24-hour remand for further questioning.
Shukla, who was associated with the counting of offerings at the Ram temple, was produced before a court which granted police his custody for 24 hours, sources said. According to police sources, cash recoveries during the investigation include Rs 20.39 lakh from Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra, and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu. Police have also recovered around 11 grams of gold, about 375 grams of silver, and USD 1,121 during the investigation.
The embezzlement of Ram temple donations came to light on June 7 and triggered a political storm in India. An FIR was later registered on June 25 following a preliminary report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13 following a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. So far, eight persons associated with the temple’s donation and counting process have been arrested, while the investigation is continuing. Ends
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