TWO SUSPECTS IN AYODHYA RAM TEMPLE DONATION THEFT ARRESTED

TWO SUSPECTS IN AYODHYA RAM TEMPLE DONATION THEFT ARRESTED

14-JUNE-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

DELHI--------------------------The Trust has apprehended two additional employees in connection with the theft of funds from donation boxes within the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya.

The Trust is maintaining such high levels of secrecy regarding the investigation that no security official is willing to go on record about it; however, individuals named during the interrogation of the detained suspects are being picked up from their respective locations. Notably, all these actions are being taken without filing a formal police FIR. The police are collaborating with Trust employees to interrogate the suspects involved in the entire episode.

Sources revealed that Lavkush—a Trust employee involved in the counting process and a resident of Phagauli Thakuran (a hamlet of Minapur Phagauli in Rudauli)—has been detained. Some cash was recovered from his home, though the exact amount remains unknown. Lavkush had recently purchased a plot of land in Ayodhya for ₹40 lakh and is currently constructing a house on it.

Sources further indicated that a man named Tiwari, who serves in the Ram Temple's sanctum sanctorum, is under surveillance and has been questioned. He had been entrusted with the responsibility of collecting gold and silver ornaments offered by devotees during the Mahakumbh period. He, too, purchased land worth ₹1.5 crore a few months ago. This has raised questions about how he managed to buy such an expensive plot, given that the Trust pays him a monthly remuneration of only ₹18,000 to ₹20,000.

There are others who were involved in the counting process and saw their financial status improve significantly in a short span of time. Sources stated that investigators are gathering information from the very Trust employees stationed at the Pilgrim Facilitation Centre. Efforts are currently underway at a confidential level to recover the maximum possible amount of the embezzled funds, thereby avoiding the need for formal legal action. SP District President and BJP Leader Renew Demand for CBI Probe

Samajwadi Party's outgoing District President, Parasnath Yadav, has demanded a high-level investigation into the incident involving the theft of offerings at the Ram Mandir. He stated that this act is an assault on the faith of followers of the Sanatan Hindu tradition. He urged that a formal inquiry be conducted by a central investigative agency so that action can be taken against the guilty individuals.