Insiders Stole Massive Cash From Ram Temple Donation Boxes: Sources

Ayodhya :  A major financial scandal has rocked the holy city of Ayodhya following source-based revelations that five to six insiders systematically stole massive amounts of cash directly from the 'daan peti' (donation boxes) at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

The stunning development has accelerated a high-level police crackdown, with the Uttar Pradesh government deploying a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to audit the shrine’s cash-counting ecosystem.  

Sources close to the investigation indicate that a select group of low-salaried outsourced workers, tasked with counting daily offerings, managed to siphon off crores of rupees over a prolonged period.

The illicit operations came to light after other temple workers noticed sudden, dramatic lifestyle changes among the counting staff, who normally earned between ₹14,000 and ₹20,000 monthly. Some of the accused reportedly acquired luxury vehicles and prime real estate assets worth crores within months of the temple's opening.  

In a series of rapid raids, the Special Operations Group (SOG) detained a key employee, Lavkush Mishra, and recovered over ₹10 lakh in cash hidden at his residence in Rudauli. Whistleblowers allege that the handlers deliberately recorded daily voucher ledger balances lower than the actual cash counted, allowing them to smuggle bundles of cash past the inner security parameters without raising immediate alarms.  

The SIT, led by top administrative and finance experts, has seized all CCTV data boxes to scrutinize hours of recording logs within the highly confidential cash-vault chamber. While the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust initially attempted to downplay the discrepancies, political pressure has mounted, with opposition leaders demanding a transparent, court-monitored probe into the embezzlement of funds offered by millions of global devotees. AYODHYA: A major financial scandal has rocked the holy city of Ayodhya following source-based revelations that five to six insiders systematically stole massive amounts of cash directly from the 'daan peti' (donation boxes) at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

The stunning development has accelerated a high-level police crackdown, with the Uttar Pradesh government deploying a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to audit the shrine’s cash-counting ecosystem.

Sources close to the investigation indicate that a select group of low-salaried outsourced workers, tasked with counting daily offerings, managed to siphon off crores of rupees over a prolonged period. The illicit operations came to light after other temple workers noticed sudden, dramatic lifestyle changes among the counting staff, who normally earned between ₹14,000 and ₹20,000 monthly. Some of the accused reportedly acquired luxury vehicles and prime real estate assets worth crores within months of the temple's opening.

In a series of rapid raids, the Special Operations Group (SOG) detained a key employee, Lavkush Mishra, and recovered over ₹10 lakh in cash hidden at his residence in Rudauli. Whistleblowers allege that the handlers deliberately recorded daily voucher ledger balances lower than the actual cash counted, allowing them to smuggle bundles of cash past the inner security parameters without raising immediate alarms.

The SIT, led by top administrative and finance experts, has seized all CCTV data boxes to scrutinize hours of recording logs within the highly confidential cash-vault chamber. While the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust initially attempted to downplay the discrepancies, political pressure has mounted, with opposition leaders demanding a transparent, court-monitored probe into the embezzlement of funds offered by millions of global devotees.