Stocks, loans, relatives' accounts: Police uncover Ram Temple theft money trail
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Ram Temple donation theft case in Ayodhya has found evidence suggesting that a portion of the stolen funds
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Ram Temple donation theft case in Ayodhya has found evidence suggesting that a portion of the stolen funds was invested in the stock market, while another part was lent out at interest. According to police sources, accused Anukalp Mishra and co-accused Avinash admitted to these transactions during questioning. Investigators also suspect that the accused attempted to conceal the embezzlement by routing the stolen money through the bank accounts of relatives and close associates before transferring it back into their own accounts. Read Full Story As part of the probe, police have frozen 30 bank accounts belonging to relatives of the three accused after preliminary findings indicated transactions disproportionate to the known sources of income of the account holders.
The officials also searched the residence of accused Anukalp Mishra and questioned his family members. Earlier, searches were also conducted at the homes of co-accused Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey. According to police sources, cash, gold jewellery and a car have also been recovered from the residences of the accused. However, officials have not disclosed the amount of cash seized or specified which items were recovered from which accused. Investigators also recovered documents related to the purchase of nearly one acre of land in Anukalp Mishra's name during the search of his residence. The land was reportedly purchased for around Rs 6.7 lakh, though its current market value is believed to be several times higher.
The developments come amid an ongoing SIT probe into financial irregularities in the counting of donations at the Ram Temple. The controversy surfaced in the first week of June after alleged discrepancies were detected during the counting of temple donations. Acting on the recommendation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the Uttar Pradesh government constituted an SIT to investigate the matter. The SIT's preliminary enquiry found prima facie evidence of embezzlement, following which an FIR was registered and eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process were arrested. The probe has also triggered changes in the temple trust's leadership. General Secretary Champat Rai resigned from his post and his resignation was accepted on July 6.
Rai was replaced by former Indian Forest Service officer Krishna Mohan, who had also lodged the FIR in the case. Trustee Anil Mishra also stepped down, while Gopal Rao, a special invitee to the trust, was relieved of his responsibilities. None of the three former office-bearers has been named as an accused in the FIR. However, opposition parties and sections of civil society have sought accountability from them because of their senior roles in the temple's administration. Ends
The BriefWire