The investigation into the theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir has now been widened into a probe of 30 more employees.
The employees reportedly engaged in counting cash offerings, and many of them were allegedly hired on the recommendations of the functionaries of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust or their associates.
Sources linked to the police investigation told the Indian Express that nearly 50 people were involved in counting currency notes donated by devotees at the temple.
Close to 40 of them were allegedly recruited based on the recommendation of the trust office bearers or other close associates.
Investigators are now looking into the background of the employees and whether they accumulated any assets that were disproportionate to their known sources of income.
Some senior Trust functionaries have come under scrutiny in the probe. However, there has been no criminal liability established against them.
“This was not merely a case of administrative lapse or an error of judgment, but of deliberate negligence on the part of some people. Sensitive work involving public donations was entrusted through ad-hoc recruitment, with relatives and acquaintances of Trust functionaries finding their way into the system. The backgrounds of all such recruits are being verified, and their financial records are also being examined," a senior police officer in Ayodhya said.
Police have also found that CCTV footage provided direct evidence against six of the eight accused. They were reportedly seen concealing bundles of currency notes inside their clothes pockets and shoes while counting donations at the temple’s pilgrim facilitation centre.
The alleged theft came under the radar after discrepancies emerged during donation accounting.
The temple administration subsequently approached the police for an investigation.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed by the UP government to probe the matter.
Trust general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra also resigned following the mounting scrutiny. The SIT submitted a nine-page preliminary report that stated that the alleged thefts were not isolated incidents but facilitated by major failures in supervision and security arrangements.
