Plot worth INR 23 lakh, security agency in focus, INR 80 lakh recovered: Donation inside Ram temple achieved so far

The investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh has moved from arrests to legal action and recovery of assets and funds.

Police arrested eight people in connection with the case last week after UP Police registered an FIR based on a complaint from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which runs the temple. These eight men are: Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.

As the police delve deeper into the roles of the eight suspects and the loopholes that led to the alleged embezzlement, they have already managed to access ₹79.85 lakh cash recovered $79.85 lakh in cash from seven of the eight suspects.

Authorities are also scrutinizing the assets of the eight jailed suspects as part of the investigation.

Read also | Ram temple donations: How they swelled into angry row

The controversy first surfaced on June 7 when Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan “Pawan” Pandey claimed that donations worth… $5 Crores $Rs 7.5 crore has been withdrawn from the temple offerings.

In the midst of the investigation, the police uncovered a major real estate purchase made by one of the prime suspects, Lavkush Mishra. The suspect allegedly obtained a plot of land worth more than that $HT had earlier reported that 23 lakh in the Sadatganj area of ​​the temple town recently.

Police also found that six of the eight arrested suspects worked for a security agency in Varanasi.

Let’s take a look at what police have found so far:

2. Approximately 8 men were detained $80 liters recovered: Police arrested eight suspects on Friday last week in connection with alleged irregularities in donations to the Ram temple. Ayodhya prosecuting officer KC Verma said police recovered a total of 100,000 cases $79,85,893 in cash from seven of the eight arrested suspects.

3. The largest amount recovered from a suspect: Avinash Shukla, one of the eight arrested suspects, was reportedly interrogated at the district jail. During interrogation, Shukla was asked about the alleged diversion of devotees’ donations, cash movement and the role of the other accused, HT reported earlier. The report said, citing sources, that the Ram Temple Trust had Rs20 lakh Shukla was recovered on June 5 $20 lakh from Shukla on June 5, weeks before the FIR was registered. Although there is no official breakdown of the money recovered from the accused, sources said that the largest amount was recovered from Avinash Shukla. The police are analyzing whether the recovered amount represents the entire amount he embezzled or whether some amount is still missing.

4. Eyes on land value $23 thousand: As the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple deepens, the police now have their eyes on a sum of Rs.23 thousand “> value of the plot of land $23 lakh, which was reportedly received by Lavkush Mishra, one of the eight jailed suspects, recently in the Sahadtganj area of ​​the temple town. Investigators found this information during a raid on the suspect’s relatives. They found the property details while scanning Mishra’s father-in-law’s mobile phone.

5. Money used for consumer goods: Investigators said they also discovered that a large portion of the embezzled amount was also diverted into consumer goods, with the suspects purchasing essential and non-essential goods, including smartphones, washing machines and several other household appliances.

6. Six suspects from the same company: HT learned that six of the eight arrested suspects were working for a Varanasi-based security agency that provided manpower for the money counting operation at the Ayodhya temple. The agency, Sainik Security Services, was established in its present form with a registered address in Varanasi and a paid-up capital of $1 lakh in December 2017, according to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs database. This security company has been appointed by the State Bank of India (SBI), Naya Ghat Branch, to count the money. Gaurav Singh, owner and director of Sainik Security Services, said the branch recommended 19 names for the money counting team. Documents submitted before the court of Rajat Varma, Additional District Magistrate for Anti-Corruption, revealed that six of the eight accused were receiving money from the Varanasi-based security agency, HT had earlier reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

7. 70:30 Lines of investigation: Authorities investigating the case said they are collecting financial details of all the suspects, their family members and relatives using Aadhaar and PAN cards. Officials are analyzing and comparing the financial status of the suspects before securing their locations in the Ram temple. “The total annual income of all the accused will be ascertained since they got the job at the Ram temple, and then it will be multiplied by the number of years they have worked there,” an investigating officer explained. He added that of the total income, “about 70 percent will be considered as ordinary living expenses and 30 percent as investments. The investigation will continue strictly along these lines.”