One of the suspects has been open with the police about it. He says the money was put away in the restrooms and made off with later so as not to be seen by the cameras, sources tell us. The Special Investigation Team has its work cut out for them – they have made eight arrests and are putting everything from the planning to any bank involvement under a microscope.
Inside the alleged method
After nearly two hours of questioning with the court’s okay, Avinash Shukla is said to have come clean about the crores he put his hands on. His version of events is that while one man would make off with some of the cash from the counting line, the rest of the group would put up a screen to block the view of the cameras.
They were no strangers to where the surveillance was in the complex, according to sources. The plan was to let the cash sit in the washroom until the coast was clear to walk it out of the building.
Why counting checks are under scrutiny
The investigators want to know who had access to the room where the counting is done and if the controls held up. Police say Ramashankar, or Tinnu Yadav, had one of the keys to the place; the other was in the hands of a bank person involved in the process.
It’s the SBI that gives the nod for the count, and they’ve put in a private firm for it. You have 14 on the team to do the job – 11 from the bank, three from the temple trust – and they go through what’s in the four donation boxes.
Now the SIT is trying to piece together if there was any kind of collusion to siphon off the money, and what part the bank staff played. They’re checking to see if the internal defences were just waltzed around, even with all the layers of access and eyes on the room.
Senior names questioned, no official link stated
Shukla is said to have put Mishra in the picture as having a hand in the counting, and being close to the trust officials meant he didn’t get as much heat. Then again, both he and Champat Rai, the General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, put in their resignations last week.
The SIT has been over to talk to them. But for the moment, there’s nothing on the record to tie them to any impropriety, and the case is still moving along.
Arrests, gains, and the money trail
We have eight in the bag so far. The police are of the opinion they were in it together. Lavkush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra are among the key names, and we are seeing an interest in the properties and the kind of transactions they’ve been up to.
Some of the take was put towards a house and some land, the accused have let on. The SIT is following the paper trail to put it all in perspective.
Mahakumbh seen as peak period for thefts
If you ask the police, the big hauls happened during the Mahakumbh. Donations were up and the volume of it all gave the group a chance to move some of it without anyone the wiser.
That puts the spotlight on times like that, and whether the oversight was as tight as it should have been when the offerings were at their height.
What investigators are doing next
The UP government put the SIT in place back on June 13. Now they are asking how this could have gone on for so long without anyone noticing, and if there are others in the mix, perhaps from the counting side of things.
They are in the process of writing to the Enforcement Directorate to get them in on the wider inquiry. Having the ED on board will make it easier to follow the money into assets and see if there’s any layering to it.
For the time being, here is where the focus is:
– Verify the counting room access trail
– Track assets linked to the accused
– Examine bank staff roles in counting
– Review CCTV coverage gaps
– Seek ED support on the money trail
Why this matters and what to watch
At the end of the day, this is about the integrity of how a high-profile temple is run. The fact they used the washrooms and knew where the cameras were points to some real holes in the system.
Keep an eye on the ED and what the SIT comes up with on the collusion front. If they find more people were in on the diversion of funds, you can expect to see more arrests.
