70 Thefts In 45 Days? 5 Findings That Rocked The Ram Temple Probe

A preliminary Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has found prima facie evidence of nearly 70 suspected thefts in 45 days. But as investigators reconstructed what happened inside the temple's donation counting system, the probe expanded beyond the alleged thefts themselves. In the process, five broad findings emerged: repeated cash pilferage caught on CCTV, weak supervision, security lapses, flaws in the counting process and wider failures in enforcing established safeguards.

Those findings have already led to changes within the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which accepted the resignations of former general secretary Champat Rai and senior trustee Anil Mishra. While the report is only preliminary, it lays out how the investigation unfolded and why it gradually shifted from alleged theft to questions of institutional accountability.

13 June: An SIT is formed

The case entered the investigation stage on 13 June, when the Uttar Pradesh government constituted a three-member SIT after the Temple Trust sought a probe into allegations of irregularities involving temple donations.

The team was asked to examine how donations were collected, counted and secured, while also verifying allegations that cash and valuables had gone missing.

23 June: The first findings emerge

Ten days later, the SIT submitted its preliminary report to the state government. After reviewing CCTV footage, financial records and witness statements, investigators said they had found prima facie evidence of nearly 70 suspected thefts involving six accused during a 45-day period.

The report suggested that the alleged offences were not isolated incidents. Instead, investigators began identifying weaknesses in the systems meant to prevent them.

CCTV footage becomes the first major finding

The investigation gained momentum after the SIT examined CCTV footage from the donation counting room covering the period between 27 April and early June.

According to the report, the recordings repeatedly showed members of the counting staff allegedly concealing bundles of currency notes and loose cash while donations were being processed. The CCTV footage marked the investigation's first major breakthrough, providing investigators with evidence that the alleged thefts appeared to have occurred repeatedly rather than as isolated incidents.

The footage also exposed another concern. CCTV recordings had been preserved for only 45 days, despite earlier audit recommendations calling for a retention period of 180 days. That meant investigators could not determine whether similar incidents had taken place before the available footage began.

The probe uncovers its second finding: Weak supervision

Once investigators established a pattern of alleged theft, they examined who was responsible for supervising the counting process.

The report questioned how Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu retained custody of donation box keys without written authorisation. It also held Subhash Srivastava, who supervised the counting room, responsible for allowing the arrangement to continue.

The investigation then turned to senior trustee Anil Mishra, who oversaw financial matters and coordinated with the State Bank of India while framing procedures governing donation counting. The SIT said he failed to ensure that security safeguards were effectively implemented or reviewed after signs of irregularities emerged.

Security lapses become the third key finding

Investigators then examined the safeguards meant to protect the counting room and found several had either been diluted or ignored.

Staff entering and leaving the counting room were not consistently frisked. Prescribed uniforms were not strictly enforced and personal belongings were not effectively barred from sensitive areas.

The SIT also scrutinised changes made to the standard operating procedure. An arrangement introduced in September 2024 required security checks for everyone entering or leaving the counting room. However, a revised procedure issued in February 2025 reduced those checks to periodic or random inspections. Investigators said even those limited checks were allegedly not carried out, making weak security the third major finding of the probe.

The fourth finding points to flaws in the counting process

The inquiry then shifted from security to the way donations were handled once they entered the counting room.

Instead of recording donations from each hundi separately, cash from different boxes was allegedly mixed before counting. Investigators also found there was no reliable system to identify which boxes had been transported, counted or were still awaiting processing.

The report said these shortcomings weakened accountability by making it difficult to maintain a proper audit trail for the large volume of donations received by the temple.

The fifth finding widens the investigation

By the final stage of the preliminary inquiry, investigators were examining whether the alleged thefts reflected wider institutional failures.

The SIT pointed to lapses by bank officials, saying agreed safeguards, including staff rotation and compliance checks, were not effectively enforced despite bank representatives being present during the counting process.

Financial analysis, along with the recovery of cash, valuables and bank deposits allegedly disproportionate to the known income of some accused, strengthened investigators' suspicion that the alleged thefts may have extended beyond the period covered by the available CCTV footage. However, because older recordings had been overwritten, the SIT said the full extent of the alleged losses could not be established.

The report also addressed allegations that high-value silver donations had gone missing. After examining records and carrying out physical verification, investigators concluded that silver bricks, bullion and other valuable offerings were properly accounted for, and those allegations could not be substantiated.

What happened next?

After the preliminary report was placed before the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, it accepted the resignations of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra. The SIT also recommended registration of FIRs against supervisory personnel and others whose alleged actions or omissions may have facilitated the offences.

The investigation is continuing, and the preliminary report is expected to guide its next phase. While it has identified prima facie evidence of repeated theft, it has also widened the focus to the systems meant to safeguard temple donations and whether failures in supervision, security and established procedures allowed the alleged irregularities to continue unchecked.