Ram Temple Donation Theft Case: Ayodhya Police Move To Attach Land Allegedly Bought With Suspected Stolen Funds

· Free Press Journal

Ayodhya: Investigators probing the Ram Temple offering theft case have uncovered what they believe is a major investment made using stolen donation money, with police preparing to attach a plot of land allegedly purchased after the prime accused paid Rs 24 lakh in cash.

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Sources said prime accused Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu bought the land in the name of his son, Ravi Yadav, around a year ago in Ayodhya's Sahadatganj area. Investigators have found that while official records show only about Rs 9 lakh was paid through banking channels, Tinnu allegedly paid an additional Rs 24 lakh in cash to complete the transaction. Police suspect the cash component came from money siphoned off from devotees' offerings at the Ram Temple.

The transaction came to light during Tinnu's custodial interrogation and subsequent scrutiny of land records obtained from the tehsil. Investigators are now treating the property as suspected proceeds of crime and have begun the process of attaching it under relevant legal provisions.

According to sources, the land was purchased from a close relative of a senior BJP leader. Police questioned the sellers during Tinnu's custody to verify the mode of payment and the source of funds. While the registered value of the property is around Rs 35 lakh, officials estimate its current market value to be nearly Rs 50 lakh.

The probe has now widened beyond this transaction. Investigators are examining properties purchased in recent years in the names of Tinnu's relatives to determine whether stolen donation money was routed into real estate. Although no conclusive evidence has yet linked those properties to the accused, officials suspect that any such investments would have been made largely through cash, making the money trail difficult to establish. Records relating to ownership, payment methods and sources of funds are being scrutinised.

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Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has initiated a comprehensive review of its financial systems in the wake of the offering theft case.

At a meeting of the Trust's Finance Committee, members discussed measures to strengthen transparency and tighten safeguards in the handling of donations. Acting General Secretary Krishna Mohan directed that salaries and payments to Trust employees, engineers and contractual staff should be released on time without any delay.

The meeting, attended by Finance Committee members, temple construction engineer Jagdish and the Trust's chartered accountant Chandan Rai, decided to review all provisions of the memorandum of understanding with the bank handling the Trust's accounts to plug any procedural loopholes.

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The committee also resolved to introduce stronger digital safeguards by maintaining a secure audit trail for every financial transaction. Regular internal reviews of donation receipts, deposits and disbursements will be conducted to detect irregularities at an early stage.

The Trust is also considering strengthening its coordination with the bank by introducing enhanced alert and verification mechanisms. Officials said the objective is to restore devotees' confidence by ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the management of temple donations after the theft scandal. A revised financial protocol based on the committee's recommendations is expected to be implemented soon.

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