Ayodhya: In a major breakthrough into the financial irregularities at the Ram Janmabhoomi complex, the Ayodhya Police on Sunday launched coordinated raids at the residences of all eight individuals arrested for the alleged embezzlement of temple donations. Accompanied by local magistrates, multiple police teams conducted simultaneous searches at the homes of the key accused, including Lav Kush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, and Ramashankar Yadav, to recover missing funds and secure incriminating evidence.
The extensive search operations come just two days after an Ayodhya court remanded all eight suspects to judicial custody until June 29. The arrested individuals—identified as Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav—were officially tasked with counting cash, offerings, and valuables received as donations at the Ram Temple. Law enforcement officials are expected to move a formal application seeking their extended custodial remand when the suspects are produced before the court on Monday.
According to the prosecution, investigators have successfully recovered 79.85 lakh INR from the accused so far. The legal proceedings are being fiercely pursued under stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to theft by a clerk or servant, criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property, and criminal conspiracy, alongside relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ongoing crackdown follows a detailed First Information Report registered on the recommendations of a preliminary report by a three-member Special Investigation Team. The Uttar Pradesh government had constituted the high-level SIT earlier this month immediately after serious allegations regarding the misappropriation of sacred temple funds surfaced, prompting an intensive multi-agency probe.
