Ram Temple donation probe: Accused to be produced via VC, police to seek custody later

Ayodhya, June 29 (IANS) The eight accused arrested in connection with the Ram Temple donation embezzlement probe will be produced before an Ayodhya court via video conferencing on Monday, while police said that it will not seek their custody for now, but in the coming days, after investigators prepare a detailed list of questions for interrogation.

Police have also issued notices to around six banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank, seeking details of the bank accounts and lockers of the arrested accused, the Trust, and others linked to the case.

Officials said that 70 to 80 people are under the scanner, and notices are being issued to them in phases. Their statements will also be recorded.

Meanwhile, the mobile phones of all the accused will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Investigators believe the accused deleted chats from their phones, and efforts are underway to recover the erased data.

Earlier in the day, the Ayodhya police reached the SBI branch at Naya Ghat as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s primary bank account is maintained at the SBI branch, where investigators are examining the possible role of bank officials in the case. Police are expected to question the branch manager and record his statement as part of the probe.

Two SBI employees, Ratnesh and Gagandeep, are also under investigation. Both were on the bank’s payroll and supervised six outsourced employees responsible for counting donations and transporting the cash safely to the bank.

All six outsourced workers have already been arrested in connection with the case. Except for Subhash and Tinnu, all those arrested were outsourced staff assigned to handle the temple’s donations.

According to NDTV sources, the SBI had recommended the removal of the donation-counting staff nearly three months ago after suspecting irregularities. However, some officials of the temple trust allegedly opposed their dismissal.

Police have already recorded the statement of Champat Rai, former General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Sources said notices are also likely to be issued to former trustee Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao as the investigation progresses.

Eight counting staff members have been arrested in connection with the theft case, and efforts are underway to recover stolen assets from the temple donation boxes.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored probe and forensic audit into the handling of donations and offerings received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust over alleged financial irregularities linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing criminal investigation, police on Sunday recovered jewellery and documents from the house of one of the accused after conducting searches at the residences of all eight people arrested accused.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust after a preliminary SIT report flagged multiple irregularities.

–IANS

jk/vd