'I had no role’: What Champat Rai told police about Ayodhya Ram temple donation theft during interrogation

Champat Rai, who resigned as the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust following the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, told the police that he had no role in the misappropriation and had acted immediately upon learning of the case.

Rai was interrogated by the police for approximately three hours on Monday in connection with the case.

“I had no role in the theft of the offerings. As soon as I received the news, I became active, and the accused were apprehended at my behest. I admit it was my responsibility to ensure that the offerings were not tampered with," Rai told investigating officials, according to local media reports.

He also blamed his longtime associate, Ram Shankar Yadav, alias Tinnu Yadav. Rai said he never suspected Tinnu of doing something like this and had trusted him.

Police are investigating the role of Tinnu Yadav in the embezzlement as he had close ties with senior functionaries associated with the trust and even had access to the temple’s donation management system. Tinnu is also believed to have introduced his nephew, Manish Yadav, into the donation-counting team. The police are looking into whether this was to create a coordinated network through which portions of the siphoned-off money could be diverted.

On how the process of hiring relatives and acquaintances of those associated with the trust was carried out, Rai stated that opportunities were given to those in need to provide employment. He clarified that this decision was not solely his personal one, but that of other trust officials as well.

Besides Rai, another trust member Krishna Mohan was also questioned about the roles of all the accused named in the FIR.

The Police have made eight arrests in connection with the case, and all have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.s. All eight accused, including Tinnu, will appear in court on July 13th. Police also raided the homes of all the accused, resulting in the seizure of gold, money and documents.

The Special Investigating Team also arrived at the State Bank of Ayodhya branch on Monday and sought bank account information for all 40 outsourced and two permanent employees involved in counting, as well as their family members. The police examined the bank's counting system and the appointments of the accused outsourced employees. Investigating officer Ashutosh Tiwari (CO, Ayodhya) stated that all senior and junior officials involved in the case will be questioned.