Ayodhya : The Ayodhya Police on Wednesday conducted fresh searches as part of their ongoing investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, and recovered a donation box with a QR code and seized cash, gold, silver, and foreign currency, police sources said.
The police also conducted an extensive search at the residence of the accused Lavkush Mishra combing through stacks of dry fodder.
The Uttar Pradesh government has given a 15-day extension to the special investigation team probing the embezzlement case, officials said.
Sources said that Lavkush’s father, Bachchu Lal Mishra, was taken into custody for questioning.
According to police sources, cash recoveries made so far from the accused include Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu.
Additionally, the police recovered approximately 11 grams of gold, about 375 grams of silver, and $1,121 during the investigation, sources added.
In another development, the police recovered a donation box labelled ‘Ramrajya Kosh’, bearing a Paytm QR code, from a yoga centre in Ayodhya where the accused Avinash Shukla had been residing for the past 10 years, sources stated.
Sundar Lal, a yoga instructor at the centre, told PTI that the police had first raided the premises on June 5, inspected the CCTV footage and searched the room where Shukla stayed.
“The police arrived with Avinash and required us to vacate the premises where he was living. After they left, we learned that Rs 5 lakh had been recovered from his possession,” Lal said.
The investigation has also widened to cover the role of around 400 private security personnel deployed at the temple complex. The police are scrutinising their duty rosters, CCTV footage, entry and exit records, and other activities to ascertain whether security protocols were violated or whether anyone facilitated the alleged embezzlement.
