Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation Theft: Major Revelations On How Outsourced Staff Stole Cash

A series of shocking revelations have emerged in the investigation into the theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. The probe has uncovered a sophisticated method of embezzlement where the theft didn't occur during the actual counting of the money, but rather during the preparation phase. It has been revealed that outsourced employees were responsible for stealing cash while they were tasked with arranging and bundling the notes before they were fed into the counting machines.

The Modus Operandi of the Theft

According to sources involved in the investigation, the process of counting the massive amounts of donations received at the temple involved high-speed machines. However, before the notes could be processed by these machines, they had to be manually straightened and organized. Devotees often drop notes into the donation boxes in a folded or crumpled state. The arrested suspects were specifically employed to straighten these notes and arrange them neatly into bundles of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 denominations.

It was during this manual handling phase that the theft took place. The suspects would discreetly remove notes from the piles while they were supposed to be organizing them for the State Bank of India (SBI) employees. The SBI staff would then take these pre-arranged bundles and place them into the counting machines. Because the theft happened before the notes reached the machine, the discrepancy was difficult to detect during the automated counting process itself.

The Role of Outsourced Employees and Third-Party Hiring

The investigation has highlighted a complex web of employment. The arrested individuals weren't direct employees of the Ram Mandir Trust or the State Bank of India. Instead, they were third-party outsourced staff hired for housekeeping and administrative support, while these employees were provided by a private company that had been contracted by SBI to handle these specific tasks. This private company was responsible for the entire recruitment process, including interviews, hiring, and even the implementation of a specific dress code for the staff working within the temple premises.

Among those under the scanner is Subhash Srivastava, who was tasked with supervising the counting process. Interestingly, Srivastava is a former banker who was also working as an outsourced employee through a private firm. The investigation is now looking into how such a significant security breach occurred under the supervision of experienced personnel.

Police Action and Key Arrests

The Uttar Pradesh Police, along with a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), initiated a rigorous probe following the registration of an FIR regarding the alleged theft and embezzlement of temple offerings. On June 25, 2026, the police successfully arrested 8 individuals in connection with the case. The arrested suspects have been identified as Ram Shankar Yadav (also known as Tinu Yadav), Manish Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Lovekush Mishra, Karunesh Pandey, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, and Ram Shankar Mishra.

Currently, three of the accused—Lovekush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey—are in police remand. During their interrogation, the police conducted several raids based on the information provided by the suspects, leading to significant recoveries of stolen assets.

Recoveries and Financial Trail

The police have recovered a substantial amount of cash and luxury items purchased with the stolen money. From the possession of Anukalp Mishra, the police seized 20000 rupees in cash, a gold chain, a mobile phone, and a Swift Dzire car that had been purchased in his father's name. The vehicle has been officially impounded as part of the evidence.

The investigation also revealed that Lovekush Mishra used the stolen funds to purchase a gold locket as a gift for his wife. The police have recovered this locket along with 38000 rupees in cash from him. On top of that, 15000 rupees in cash was recovered from Karunesh Pandey. The SIT is continuing its efforts to trace the full extent of the embezzled funds and any other assets acquired through these illegal means.

Administrative Fallout and Future Interrogations

The scandal has led to significant administrative changes within the Ram Mandir Trust. The resignations of General Secretary Champat Rai and Trustee Anil Mishra have been accepted following the controversy. The police are now preparing to record the statement of Anil Mishra, who had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the bank regarding the handling of donations.

On top of that, Govind Mishra, a former manager of SBI who is currently posted in a Lucknow branch, is also under the police radar. Sources indicate that both Govind Mishra and the SBI employees who were present during the counting sessions will be interrogated this week. The SIT aims to determine if there was any negligence or complicity on the part of the bank officials in allowing the outsourced staff to carry out the theft for an extended period.