Curious case of Rs 58 lakh recovered by Ram Temple Trust before theft probe began

The Ram Mandir donation theft case has taken a turn with new revelations raising questions about the culpability of people working for the temple's trust. Sources have told India Today TV that nearly Rs 58 lakh of money stolen from the donation proceeds was traced and recovered even before a Special Investigation Team appointed by the UP government began an investigation into the matter.

According to the sources, certain members of the Trust carried out their own internal investigation and recovered Rs 58 lakh from Avinash Shukla, who is among the eight people arrested last week in the theft case. This recovery was made several days before the allegations of theft became public and Special Investigation Team was constituted to look into the matter.

The SIT's findings, submitted to the UP government last week, would lead to registration of an FIR and the arrests of eight persons, including Avniash Shukla.

Sources said that on June 5, representatives of the Trust, acting on the instructions of then General Secretary Champat Rai, accompanied police personnel to the residence of accused Avinash Shukla. During the visit, nearly Rs 58 lakh was allegedly recovered. Soon after, Rai, along with trustee Anil Mishra, stepped down on moral grounds.

The development is significant because the recovery predates the registration of a formal complaint, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Sources further claimed that between June 5 and June 8, the remaining amount was returned by the accused through bank transfers.

The sequence suggests that efforts to recover the allegedly embezzled money had already begun before the matter formally entered the legal process.

According to sources, the timeline unfolded as follows:

June 4: Information about the alleged theft reaches the Trust.

June 5: Trust officials and police visit an accused's residence; nearly Rs 58 lakh is recovered.

June 5-8: Remaining amount is returned through bank transfers.

June 7: Allegations of donation theft enter the public domain.

Subsequently, formal legal proceedings began and the investigation expanded.

The timeline is now emerging as a key focus of the probe, with agencies examining why recoveries allegedly began before the registration of a formal complaint and whether any procedural lapses occurred during the initial handling of the case.

The latest revelations build on details that surfaced earlier regarding the Trust's knowledge of the alleged theft before it became public.

India Today TV had previously reported that Trust officials and police had reached the residence of one of the accused on June 5, days before the controversy erupted in the public domain.

CCTV footage linked to the operation later surfaced, showing Avinash Shukla being escorted by police personnel while carrying a black bag believed to contain the recovered cash.

The authenticity of the CCTV footage and the claims surrounding the sequence of events have not been independently verified.