The case has moved from suspected theft inside the donation-counting system to a broader examination of access, appointments, security lapses and possible patronage networks within the temple establishment. Mishra, who resigned as trustee on June 27 along with trust general secretary Champat Rai, has already been questioned by the Special Investigation Team formed by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Investigators are examining claims that several people employed at the temple complex were appointed on Mishra’s recommendation. At least 125 staff members are believed to have secured jobs through his referrals, including some said to be related to him. The SIT is also looking into allegations that commissions were taken for appointments and whether any such arrangement helped create a protected circle around the donation-counting process.
Police questioning of Shukla on Tuesday brought Mishra’s name into focus several times. Investigators are treating those statements as leads rather than findings, and no charge has been announced against Mishra so far. Officials are also reviewing property and asset details linked to the former trustee to assess whether there was any unexplained rise in wealth during his tenure.
Eight accused have been arrested in the case: Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu. They were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to theft by clerk or servant, criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal conspiracy and common intention. A local court in Ayodhya remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.
The investigation has so far traced more than ₹77 lakh in alleged cash recoveries. The highest amount, ₹20.39 lakh, was recovered from Shukla. Karunesh Pandey accounted for ₹18.07 lakh, Anukalp Mishra ₹16.82 lakh, Lav Kush Mishra ₹14.25 lakh, Ramashankar Mishra ₹7.32 lakh and Tinnu Yadav ₹1 lakh. Investigators have also recovered about 11 grams of gold, 375 grams of silver and $1,121 during searches.
A donation box marked “Ramrajya Kosh” and carrying a Paytm QR code was found at a yoga centre in Ayodhya where Shukla had been staying for about a decade. Police also searched premises linked to other accused, including Lav Kush Mishra’s residence, and questioned family members as part of efforts to map the movement of cash and valuables.
The suspected method points to gaps in internal controls. Investigators believe cash was removed during counting, hidden in washrooms or other areas away from direct camera coverage, and later carried out in smaller amounts to avoid detection. The accused allegedly knew the position of CCTV cameras and used blind spots to move money. One person would lift the cash while others formed a cover around him.
The role of Tinnu Yadav is under particular scrutiny because he allegedly had access to a key to the counting room. The second key was with bank staff. Cash donations at the temple are counted by a team of 14 people, including 11 bank staff and three representatives from the temple trust, under arrangements linked to the State Bank of India and a private agency engaged for the work.
The probe has also expanded to around 400 private security personnel deployed at the temple complex. Duty rosters, entry records, exit logs, CCTV footage and deployment charts are being reviewed to determine whether security staff ignored violations, enabled access or failed to report irregular movements around the donation-counting area.
The controversy began after allegations surfaced that donations worth between ₹7 crore and ₹7.5 crore had been misappropriated. The temple trust sought a formal inquiry, after which the state government constituted a three-member SIT on June 14. The team submitted preliminary findings on June 23, and an FIR was registered on June 25 against people associated with the counting process.
The FIR did not name Champat Rai or Anil Mishra, but both stepped down amid mounting pressure and calls for a wider investigation. Rai has also recorded his statement. The trust is expected to review the resignations, even as investigators press ahead with the criminal probe and a separate assessment of procedural failures.
