Ayodhya police raid suspects' homes in Ram Temple donation theft case

Police in Ayodhya carried out simultaneous raids on the homes of eight individuals accused of stealing cash donations meant for the Ram Temple. The operation, ordered after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) preliminary report, involved detailed searches, seizure of evidence and questioning of family members and neighbours.

Investigators recovered roughly ₹7.98 million (about 79.85 lakh rupees), including a large sum of around ₹2 million from one suspect, Avinash Shukla. The accused – including Anukalp Mishra, Love Kush Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav (aka Tinnu Yadav), Manish Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Chandra Srivastava and others – are being held under charges of theft, criminal conspiracy and anti‑corruption laws. Courts had previously ordered them to remain in jail until 29 June, and police will present them again for further custody.

The raids also aimed to trace the source of the illicit funds, with police examining bank accounts and transactions linked to the suspects. The SIT continues its probe, gathering statements from locals and compiling additional evidence.