look news india
The case of theft of donations offered by devotees in the grand Ram temple located in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh has shocked the entire country. The preliminary report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed after the application of Ram Mandir Trust on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has now come out. This report was presented in the important meeting of the Trust on Monday, in which layers of money hidden from counting room to bathroom and huge security lapses have been exposed. SIT has to submit its final report by July 15.
Theft 70 times in 40 days, cash taken away in socks
The most surprising revelation in the SIT investigation is that between April 27 and June 5, 2026, that is, within just 40 days, around 70 incidents of theft have been captured on CCTV cameras. The donation money was being looted in a completely planned manner inside the counting room. It is clearly seen in the CCTV footage that the counting staff were carrying bundles of notes hidden in their pockets and even in their socks. The investigating agency has expressed apprehension that theft on a large scale may have been carried out even before this 40 day period.
Safety rules (SOP) flouted
The gross negligence of the Joint Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) made by Ram Mandir Trust and State Bank has come to light behind such huge incidents of theft. According to the report, pocketless dress was to be implemented for the counting staff, but it was not done. Furthermore, no checking or frisking of staff was conducted at the entry and exit points. Employees had free rein to carry their personal belongings inside the counting room. The cash of different donations boxes was being counted together and the monitoring of CCTV cameras also proved to be completely ineffective.
Recovery of Rs 78.94 lakh was done even before the formation of SIT.
Even before the SIT came into action, major action had been taken at the trust level. The report confirmed that approximately Rs 78.94 lakh in cash, huge amount of foreign currency, jewelery and other valuables were recovered from the staff engaged in the counting process. The limit was reached when on June 4, Rs 2.25 lakh was recovered unclaimed from a toilet (bathroom) located near the counting room. The investigation also revealed that money disproportionate to their income was deposited in the bank accounts of the accused and suspicious transactions were being carried out continuously.
8 arrested, FIR recommended on 6
After this explosive report of SIT, FIR has been registered against eight people and they have been arrested. However, the SIT in its report had mainly recommended registration of a case against six people—Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Luvkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ramashankar Mishra under sections of embezzlement, theft and criminal conspiracy. Along with this, a thorough investigation has also been recommended into the suspicious role of counting room in-charge Subhash Srivastava and other supervisory officers (supervisors) including Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
Have the silver bricks gone missing?
Apart from the theft of cash, there was also a huge discussion on social media about the disappearance of silver bars and other precious stones. SIT has clarified in its report that these serious allegations being made on social media are also being investigated in a scientific and technical manner. The investigation is still going on and it is expected that many more faces related to this mega scam will be exposed in the final report to be released on July 15.