Ayodhya Police Detain Key Accused in Ram Temple Donation Theft Case
Custodial Interrogation of Accused Begins
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Ayodhya, July 18: On Saturday, the Ayodhya Police apprehended Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav, along with his nephew Manish Yadav, marking the final phase of custodial interrogation in the Ram Temple donation theft investigation.
A special court in Ayodhya had previously authorized a 39-hour custody remand for both individuals on Friday.
The pair was taken from the Ayodhya district jail on Saturday morning, and investigators are set to initiate what is anticipated to be the concluding phase of questioning before finalizing the investigation and submitting the chargesheet.
Authorities have identified Tinnu Yadav as a key figure in the alleged embezzlement scheme. He was closely linked to Champat Rai, the former General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and was involved in managing the temple's donation system.
Investigations revealed that Tinnu Yadav oversaw the temple's donation boxes, while his nephew Manish was responsible for counting the donations.
During searches last month, police discovered Rs 1 lakh at Tinnu Yadav's home and Rs 2 lakh at Manish Yadav's residence.
The court's decision followed a request from the Ayodhya police for a seven-day custodial remand, emphasizing the necessity of questioning the uncle-nephew duo to reconstruct the alleged conspiracy and validate evidence gathered in earlier investigations.
Officials indicated that the two will be confronted with statements from six co-accused who have already been interrogated.
They will also be questioned about financial records, electronic evidence, and documents obtained during the investigation.
The interrogation will focus on the alleged misappropriation of donations from devotees, the specific roles of the two in the cash-counting process, the movement of misappropriated funds, and potential investments made with the proceeds.
This case pertains to the alleged theft of cash donations from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple's strong room in Ayodhya.
Eight individuals, primarily linked to the temple's cash-counting operations through outsourced agencies, have been arrested in connection with the alleged embezzlement.
Custodial interrogations of the other six accused were completed between July 3 and July 15.
During these sessions, investigators claimed to have seized cash, gold jewelry, and two SUVs allegedly bought with misappropriated funds, along with documents related to investments and other assets.
As part of the financial investigation, several bank accounts belonging to the accused and their families have been frozen.
Officials believe that the custodial questioning of Tinnu and Manish Yadav will be pivotal in tracing the alleged money trail, establishing the timeline of events related to the suspected embezzlement, identifying each accused's specific role, and reconciling evidence collected during prior interrogations before the final police report is filed.
Simultaneously, a parallel administrative inquiry is being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh government's Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has already completed its investigation into alleged supervisory failures, security lapses, and procedural shortcomings in the temple's donation management system.
The SIT is expected to present its final report to the state government after updating the Supreme Court on the investigation's current status.