- Anil Mishra emerged as a key player in the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement probe
- At least 125 temple staff were hired on Anil Mishra's recommendation, including relatives
- Eight accused, including Tinnu Yadav, were arrested for embezzling money on CCTV footage
As the probe into the embezzlement of donations at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir deepens, the lens is now on former Ram Mandir Trust trustee Anil Mishra.
His name has emerged as one of the key players in the scam during the interrogation of the arrested accused.
Police on Tuesday questioned accused Avinash Mishra, and Anil Mishra's name came up several times, sources told NDTV.
Anil Mishra resigned as the trustee of the Ram Mandir Trust last week, along with general secretary Champat Rai. They both have already been questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Commission For Mandir Jobs?
The probe has revealed that most employees at the Ram Mandir were hired on Anil Mishra's recommendation. Sources said at least 125 staff at the temple got jobs through Mishra's recommendations, including some of his relatives.
The SIT is also probing allegations that Anil Mishra took commissions for jobs. The SIT will include findings on the commission allegations in its detailed report.
According to sources, the probe has also uncovered several properties linked to Anil Mishra. The SIT is investigating how much his assets have grown since he became the Mandir trustee.
The role of arrested accused Anukalp Mishra and Lav Kush Mishra is also said to be significant. Both are believed to be Anil Mishra's relatives.
Read | Ex-Ram Mandir Trust Official Champat Rai Grilled, Denies Role In Donation Theft
Keys To The Counting Room
Eight accused have been arrested by the SIT so far: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu. They were reportedly caught embezzling money on CCTV. The accused were grilled were for several hours by the SIT om Tuesday.
Sources said the interrogation of the accused revealed that Tinnu Yadav was one of the key players in the donation theft. Tinnu Yadav had keys to the counting room at the temple complex, sources said. The accused told the police that Tinnu's collusion made the theft easier.
The accused told investigators that their closeness to Anil Mishra gave them a free hand. Anil Mishra, according to sources, was also invoved in the counting of donations at the temple. "There was no one to question them. They knew where all the cameras were installed," sources said.
Read | On Ram Temple Theft Row, Akhilesh Yadav's Fiery Attack On BJP
How Accused Evaded CCTVs
To evade the cameras, one person would take the cash while the others surrounded him. Sources said that the money was then hidden in a bathroom and taken out later when they got a chance.
Being close to trust officials, they were not checked anywhere, sources added.
Sources said the probe found that while Tinnu Yadav had one key to the counting room, the second key was with bank staff. The money was allegedly siphoned off through collusion with bank staff. Tinnu Yadav and the bank employees took a share of the stolen money, sources said.
The counting of cash donations is authorised by SBI, which has engaged a private agency for the job. The cash offerings are made in four donation boxes and counted by a team of 14 people, including 11 bank staff and three from the temple trust.
