NEW DELHI: The Ayodhya Police intensified their investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple by conducting simultaneous raids on Sunday at the residences of all eight individuals who were arrested in connection with this high-profile case.

Police teams, accompanied by local magistrates, executed searches at the homes of the accused, which include notable names such as Lav Kush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, and Ramashankar Yadav, as reported by news agency PTI.

This coordinated operation occurred just two days after an Ayodhya court ordered all eight accused to remain in judicial custody until June 29. Police are expected to request their custodial remand when the accused are brought before the court on Monday.

Details on the Accused

The eight individuals involved in this case are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ram Shankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, and Ramashankar alias Tinnu Yadav. They were reportedly responsible for counting the cash and valuables donated to the Ram Temple.

According to the prosecution, investigators have managed to recover around Rs 79.85 lakh thus far as part of this ongoing investigation.

Legal Framework and Background

The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning theft by servant, criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property, and criminal conspiracy, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The FIR was lodged following a preliminary report from a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government in response to earlier allegations of misappropriation of temple donations that surfaced this month.

Wider Implications and Trust Response

The raids are occurring amid a broader controversy regarding the alleged embezzlement at the Ram Temple. On Saturday, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust announced it had received resignations from its general secretary Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra.

The trust stated it will discuss these resignations at its upcoming meeting and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a thorough investigation while restoring the confidence of devotees.

In its official statement, the trust also assured devotees that silver bricks, jewellery, and other offerings that were personally handed to temple officials are ‘safe and fully accounted for.’

Furthermore, the trust reiterated that the FIR is based on the interim report submitted by the SIT at its request, and assured that legal proceedings are currently underway.