Ayodhya: Three accused arrested in the Ram Temple donation theft case allegedly told investigators during police custody that they routed stolen money through relatives and close associates to conceal its source before transferring it back into their own bank accounts. Police sources said bank transaction records have corroborated this pattern of transactions.
During interrogation, prime accused Anukalp Mishra allegedly revealed that he and co-accused Avinash Shukla invested part of the stolen money in the stock market and also lent money to people on interest. Investigators said the accused first transferred funds to relatives and acquaintances before getting the money routed back into their own accounts to disguise the origin of the cash.
Police have since frozen 30 bank accounts belonging to relatives of the accused after investigators found transactions that were disproportionately high compared to their known sources of income. The financial trail is now being examined to establish the extent of money laundering and identify all beneficiaries.
The three accused, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey, are currently on police remand after being taken into custody from the district jail on Wednesday morning following court permission. During interrogation, they allegedly admitted to the theft and disclosed several details about the operation. Police expect fresh recoveries of cash and jewellery on Thursday based on information provided by the accused.
According to investigators, the accused claimed they faced little difficulty in siphoning off donation money because of the alleged involvement of Tinnu and counting in-charge Subhash Srivastava. They also told police that a portion of the stolen cash and jewellery had been hidden at different locations.
As part of the investigation, police took the three accused to an orchard on the 14 Kosi Parikrama route where, according to investigators, the stolen money was allegedly divided among those involved. The location had earlier been identified by co-accused Avinash Shukla during his custodial interrogation. Police said they verified the statements of the three accused at the spot and cross-checked them with earlier disclosures.
Investigators also recovered what they described as a fake donation receipt during the interrogation. The accused allegedly admitted they had printed counterfeit donation receipts and used them to collect money from devotees. Instead of depositing the donations, they allegedly handed over the fake receipts and pocketed the cash.
The investigation has also widened to include a car purchased by accused Anukalp Mishra last year. Police are examining the source of funds used for the purchase, the mode of payment, bank transactions and ownership documents to determine whether the vehicle was bought using money allegedly siphoned from temple donations. The financial trail is being scrutinised as part of the broader investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donation funds.
