A preliminary SIT report has identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the alleged theft of devotees' offerings at the Ram Temple here, linking him to a suspected 40-day racket involving nearly 70 instances of pilferage from the donation-counting system, sources said on Wednesday.
The interim findings of the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) were discussed during a meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday, sources associated with the temple said.
According to the preliminary report, Shukla, who was engaged to count devotees' cash offerings at the temple, has been named accused No. 1 after investigators found what they described as the strongest evidence trail against him.
The report said the alleged operation revolved around Shukla, helping investigators identify five other accused and reconstruct the suspected modus operandi inside the temple's counting room.
The nine-page report, submitted to Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad on June 23, has described the 30-year-old as the focal point of the investigation, sources said.
The SIT has, prima facie, identified nearly 70 instances of alleged theft from the temple's counting room over a span of around 40 days, they added.
According to sources, repeated examination of CCTV camera footage allegedly showed Shukla removing and concealing bundles of donation cash and loose currency notes during counting operations on multiple occasions.
Investigators are said to have relied extensively on the footage to trace the movement of money and identify the alleged roles of other participants.
The report said the evidence against Shukla was corroborated by CCTV camera footage, recovery records, bank account analysis and witness statements, making him the first among six accused whose prima facie involvement has been established, sources said.
The footage also allegedly showed Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey assisting Shukla in concealing and removing donation money, while Manish Kumar Yadav was allegedly coordinating with him inside the counting room, according to the sources.
Separate footage provided by representatives of the temple trust allegedly showed Rama Shankar Mishra handling and concealing cash bundles, they added.
Based on the material examined so far, the SIT has concluded that the prima facie involvement of all six accused stands established, sources said.
The probe extended beyond the CCTV footage. During searches conducted by the Ayodhya police, investigators recovered Rs 20.39 lakh in cash, USD 1,121, gold and silver ornaments, other valuables and an SUV from Shukla's possession -- the largest recovery from any accused arrested in the case, according to the report.
Investigators have also found cash deposits and bank transactions allegedly disproportionate to Shukla's known income.
The report noted that personnel hired by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for counting donations receive a monthly take-home salary of a little over Rs 15,000 after deductions, whereas Shukla's banking activity prior to his arrest was substantially higher than his known earnings.
Shukla was also the first accused to be taken on police remand during the investigation. During searches at his residence, police recovered a donation box bearing the inscription "Ramrajya Kosh" with an active QR code affixed to it, sources said.
Police have also searched his native residence in Pratapgarh district and are examining his properties there, besides scrutinising his financial transactions and cash holdings over the last few years, sources added.
The case came to light following allegations of theft of devotees' donations from the Ram Temple.
Eight people have so far been arrested in connection with the case -- Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Rama Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Rama Shankar alias Tinnu.
On Monday, a local court granted a one-day police remand of Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey after investigators told the court that fresh evidence had emerged during the interrogation of the five accused, who had earlier been taken into police custody.
According to police, recoveries exceeding Rs 79 lakh have so far been made from the accused, except Subhash Srivastava, who investigators continue to treat as part of the alleged conspiracy.
The Uttar Pradesh government constituted the three-member SIT to investigate the case. The probe has since expanded beyond the original FIR.
The team has also ordered a re-audit of the trust's accounts for the last five years and is examining expenditure incurred on major events over the last two years.
It has flagged alleged security and procedural lapses in the temple's donation management system, including inadequate frisking of personnel, poor CCTV monitoring and weak supervisory mechanisms, which investigators believe enabled the alleged repeated removal of cash without immediate detection.
The SIT is also examining the role of officials responsible for supervising the donation-counting process.
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