India
-Madhuri Adnal
A preliminary report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple has found repeated instances of theft inside the donation counting room, exposing serious security lapses and weak oversight.
The findings were submitted to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday. The report recommends criminal action against six cash-counting staff members who have already been arrested and calls for a wider probe into the role of officials responsible for supervising the counting process and enforcing security protocols.
A preliminary SIT report submitted to the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust details repeated theft of donations by six arrested staff, exposing security failures like inadequate frisking and CCTV oversight between April 27 and June 5, 2026.
Addressing reporters after the trust meeting, treasurer Govind Dev Giri said the preliminary SIT report was read out before the trustees but was neither discussed nor debated, as the investigation is still underway.
CCTV Footage Captured Repeated Theft, Says SIT
According to the SIT, CCTV footage recorded between April 27 and June 5, 2026, allegedly shows nearly 70 instances of staff members hiding currency bundles and loose cash in their clothes, pockets and even shoes.
Investigators believe the footage points to a sustained pattern of theft rather than isolated incidents.
The six arrested are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramashankar Mishra. The SIT said CCTV footage, recovery records and financial evidence provide prima facie proof of their involvement.
The report claims Avinash Shukla and Manish Kumar Yadav were repeatedly seen concealing cash, while the remaining accused allegedly helped facilitate the theft on multiple occasions. It has recommended charges including theft, criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation, possession of stolen property and criminal conspiracy.
The SIT has also indicated that the alleged embezzlement could be much larger than what has been documented so far. Since the CCTV system automatically overwrote older recordings due to limited storage, footage before April 27 was unavailable. Statements of the accused and an analysis of bank transactions suggest similar thefts may have taken place even earlier.
Cash Recoveries, Bank Transactions Under Scanner
The report states that the temple trust had already recovered around ₹2.79 crore before the SIT was formed. Foreign currency, jewellery and other valuables were also recovered from people associated with the counting process.
In another recovery, investigators found ₹2.25 lakh in cash inside a washroom next to the counting room on June 4.
The SIT also flagged suspicious financial transactions involving the accused. While the cash-counting staff earned around ₹20,000 a month – roughly ₹15,000 after deductions – investigators found sizeable cash deposits, fixed deposits and other bank transactions that appeared disproportionate to their known income.
The report suspects that donation money may have been routed through the personal accounts of the accused as well as those of their relatives. Investigators are now examining this financial trail to determine whether the alleged theft involved a larger network.
Security Lapses Allowed Theft to Continue
The SIT has blamed several security failures for allowing the alleged theft to continue undetected.
According to the report, mandatory frisking at entry and exit points was not carried out, pocketless uniforms were not enforced and staff were allowed to carry personal belongings inside the counting room. Biometric attendance was poorly monitored, donations from different hundis were mixed before counting and denomination-wise records were not maintained.
Investigators also found that CCTV cameras were used only for recording footage rather than actively monitoring the counting room, weakening oversight.
The report has questioned changes made to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in February 2025, when mandatory frisking was replaced with random checks. Even those relaxed rules, the SIT noted, were not properly implemented.
