Ayodhya: A preliminary SIT report has identified Avinash Shukla as the prime accused in the alleged theft of devotees’ offerings at the Ram Temple here, linking him to a suspected 40-day racket involving nearly 70 instances of pilferage from the donation-counting system, sources said on Wednesday.
The interim findings of the three-member special investigation team (SIT) were discussed during a meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday, sources associated with the temple said.
According to the preliminary report, Shukla, who was engaged to count devotees’ cash offerings at the temple, has been named accused No. 1 after investigators found what they described as the strongest evidence trail against him.
The report said the alleged operation revolved around Shukla, helping investigators identify five other accused and reconstruct the suspected modus operandi inside the temple’s counting room.
The nine-page report, submitted to Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad on June 23, has described the 30-year-old as the focal point of the investigation, sources said.
The SIT has, prima facie, identified nearly 70 instances of alleged theft from the temple’s counting room over a span of around 40 days, they added. According to sources, repeated examination of CCTV
camera footage allegedly showed Shukla removing and concealing bundles of donation cash.
Investigators are said to have relied extensively on the footage to trace the movement of money and identify the alleged roles of other participants.
The report said the evidence against Shukla was corroborated by CCTV camera footage, recovery records, bank account analysis and witness statements, making him the first among six accused whose prima facie involvement has been established, sources said.
Three accused lodged in jail in connection with the alleged theft of donations were taken into police custody on Wednesday after a local court granted a 24-hour remand for further interrogation, official sources said.
Investigating Officer and Circle Officer (Ayodhya) Ashutosh Tiwari took Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey into custody from the district jail at around 7 am on Wednesday, following which they taken for questioning, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Gopal Nagarakatte alias Gopal Rao, who was removed as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s administrator and as a specially invited member of the Trust, vacated his accommodation in the temple complex and shifted to Karsevak Puram on Wednesday, temple sources said.
