Police Custody Granted for Eight Accused in Ayodhya Temple Donation Scam

Court Orders Custody of Accused in Ram Temple Embezzlement Case

In Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, a court has approved the police custody of eight individuals implicated in the alleged misappropriation of donations intended for the Ram temple. This custody will last until June 29, allowing investigators to conduct further questioning, as confirmed by an official on Friday.

Prosecution Officer K C Verma informed the media that the accused will remain in police custody until Monday, after which they will be presented before a special court.

The individuals arrested include Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar, also known as Tinnu Yadav.

Verma noted that investigators have recovered approximately Rs 79.85 lakh during the ongoing investigation.

He explained that charges related to criminal breach of trust by public servants and the Prevention of Corruption Act have been applied, as the accused are public servants allegedly involved in the embezzlement.

According to the prosecution officer, five to six of those arrested are bank employees tasked with counting cash donations at the temple and are on the bank's payroll. However, he refrained from disclosing their identities at this stage of the investigation.

Tinnu Yadav, who is not a bank employee, is reported to have worked as a driver, while Subhash Srivastava was responsible for overseeing the donation counting process.

This case revolves around the alleged embezzlement of cash and valuables donated by devotees at the Ram temple. An FIR was filed following a preliminary report from a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and both the SIT and Ayodhya police are conducting the investigation.