- Most suspects in the Ram temple donation theft showed exponential net worth growth
- 30 people, including Tinnu Yadav, are under investigation by the Special Investigation Team
- Suspects deleted digital evidence and formatted phones to hide crime proceeds
Most of those under the scanner of probe agencies for Ram temple donation theft logged an exponential increase in their net worth, with some even registering a 100-fold growth in an impossibly short period, leaving behind a trail of illegal transactions and financial evidence, sources said. Many of these individuals purchased expensive properties, including land, residential plots, and hotels -- an extravagance they cannot afford with their legal sources of income.
The sensational theft from the temple coffers came to light because of a dispute among the suspects over the division of the money, the sources added. 30 people, including Tinnu Yadav, are being investigated by the Special Investigation Team.
The sources added that the suspects attempted to delete digital evidence. They also tried to get rid of the proceeds of the crime when they came to know of the probe into the donation theft.
Several of the accused had deleted WhatsApp chats and other data from their mobile phones. Some even completely formatted their mobile phones.
Also read: Lifestyle Changed After Ram Temple Donation Theft? Cops Raid Suspects' Homes
Police have made CCTV footage, mobile phones, and electronic evidence a key basis for their investigation.
Serious questions have also been raised about the temple's security arrangements. The role of the control room in charge and security personnel is also being investigated. Departmental action is expected after a detailed SIT investigation.
An investigation is also underway into the role of trust officials. According to the sources, prominent figures associated with the trust have not yet received a clean chit, and a detailed investigation into their roles is underway.
Eight Arrested In Ram Temple Theft Case
Eight people have been arrested, including Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav.
The probe teams have been conducting raids at their homes to track down the money trail.
All of these accused were involved in the counting of cash and jewellery donated by devotees in collection boxes.
The authorities are also questioning the accused's family members. They are compiling a list of assets they acquired since the inauguration of the temple.
Also read: Case Filed Over Ram Temple Donation Theft, All 8 Accused In Custody
Neha Mishra, the aunt of accused Anukalp Mishra, told the police that the lifestyle of Anukalp Mishra and his family had changed after he started working with the Ram temple trust.
According to the sources, around Rs 7.75 crore in donations had been embezzled; the police have recovered Rs 80 lakh so far.
The police have said that all eight temple workers were caught embezzling money on CCTV cameras.
Also read: Ram Temple Trust Key Official Champat Rai Steps Down Amid Donation Row: Sources
Earlier this week, Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, an independent body that manages the temple, resigned on moral grounds over the theft.
Nripendra Mishra, the retired IAS officer who heads the Temple Construction Committee, had told NDTV that the allegations of theft of donation money had left Prime Minister Narendra Modi worried.
