The Special Investigation Team has arrested eight accused in connection with the case: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramshankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav. All eight were questioned for several hours by the Special Investigation Team on Tuesday. Police claim that the entire conspiracy was jointly planned and executed by the accused.
According to investigators, some of the accused had allegedly been involved in minor thefts even before the Kumbh gathering. However, the dramatic increase in offerings and donations during the event allegedly enabled them to carry out a much larger theft through coordinated action.
The investigation has identified the brother-in-law duo, Lav Kush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra, as the individuals who allegedly stole the largest share of the cash. Police said the two also purchased properties using the stolen money. Investigators have so far traced more than half a dozen properties linked to the pair. Ayodhya Police is taking assistance from the Income Tax Department to examine the financial transactions and property records of the accused.
The investigation has also brought the role of certain employees of the State Bank of India under scrutiny. Ayodhya Police will write to the Enforcement Directorate seeking a detailed investigation into the money trail and financial transactions connected with the case.
According to the investigation, the counting of cash donations at the Ram Temple is authorized by the State Bank of India, which has engaged a private agency to carry out the process. Cash offerings are deposited into four donation boxes and counted by a team of 14 individuals, including 11 bank employees and three representatives of the temple trust.
Police said the largest recovery of cash was made from the Kaushalpuri hideout of accused Avinash Shukla. The premises, a yoga centre linked to Avinash Shukla's brother Abhishek, were raided by police on June 5. Seema Tiwari, who operates the yoga centre, said police recovered a large quantity of cash during the raid.
According to Seema Tiwari, four boxes belonging to Abhishek had been kept at the yoga centre. The cash was concealed inside blankets placed in these boxes. One of the boxes carried the inscription "Ram Rajya Fund."
She further stated that when Abhishek was questioned about the raid and the recovered cash, he claimed that his brother Avinash Shukla was involved in illegal narcotics trafficking and that this was the reason behind the police action.
Three days ago, Ayodhya Police visited the residences of all the accused as part of the investigation. During these searches, cash was recovered from the residence of Tinnu Yadav. Investigators said Tinnu Yadav had also served as the driver of former temple trust General Secretary Champat Rai.
Sources associated with the investigation said Tinnu Yadav possessed one key to the cash-counting room, while the second key remained with bank staff. The investigation alleges that the donation money was siphoned off through collusion between Tinnu Yadav and certain bank employees, who allegedly shared the stolen funds among themselves.
Police also collected banking documents from the residences of all the accused and obtained records relating to their movable and immovable assets. The financial investigation reportedly uncovered bank transactions that were substantially higher than the known income of the accused.
A review of their bank accounts covering one year revealed financial transactions involving amounts far exceeding their declared earnings and known sources of income. Police said the highest cash recovery, amounting to ₹89 lakh, was made based on information provided by accused Avinash Shukla. Investigators stated that this money had been recovered by the temple trust through its own efforts before the First Information Report was registered.
The investigation has expanded beyond the alleged theft itself to include the financial assets, banking transactions, and possible institutional involvement linked to the accused. With assistance from the Income Tax Department and a proposed Enforcement Directorate probe into the money trail, authorities are now examining the full extent of the alleged conspiracy surrounding the theft of donations from one of India's most prominent religious institutions.
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