Champat Rai Statement Recorded In Ram Temple Donation Theft Probe

Ayodhya : investigation into the high-profile Ram Temple donation theft case has scaled up significantly. Ayodhya Police have officially recorded the statement of Champat Rai, the former General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

This major development comes shortly after Rai and fellow trustee Anil Mishra stepped down from their administrative positions on moral grounds following intense scrutiny over the alleged embezzlement of temple funds and valuables.  

According to top Uttar Pradesh Police sources, investigators have mapped out an exhaustive blueprint to question around 140 witnesses in a structured, phased manner. The witness list covers individuals tightly woven into the temple's daily financial handling, including outsourced staff responsible for counting cash and valuable offerings, banking personnel managing the deposits, security teams stationed at the treasury rooms, and independent donors. Officials stated that the interrogation of Rai and other senior functionaries closely matches lines of inquiry previously pursued by the state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).  

The probe has already yielded substantial results following coordinated raids across ten distinct locations linked to the eight accused individuals arrested last week. Law enforcement agencies have recovered ₹79.80 lakh in cash, alongside expensive jewellery, bank passbooks, property agreement papers, and recent real estate registration documents. Investigators are actively scanning these financial trails to establish whether these newly identified properties were purchased using stolen funds.  

The controversy erupted after preliminary SIT findings flagged severe security lapses in the temple's donation management system, including unmonitored counting rooms and a failure to preserve mandatory CCTV footage. As political pressure mounts, authorities have assured devotees that all records are being strictly audited to ensure total transparency.