Ayodhya: Police investigating the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya have scrutinised the bank accounts of relatives of the eight arrested accused as they seek to establish the money trail behind the alleged diversion of funds, sources said on Friday.
According to police sources, investigators have identified more than 50 bank accounts belonging to relatives of the arrested accused and other persons linked to the temple trust.
Police are examining bank transactions, recent investments, and financial records to trace the movement of the allegedly siphoned-off donation funds and ascertain whether it was used to acquire assets or to finance construction activities.
The sources said the probe is focused on establishing a money trail linking the alleged theft of donations to property purchases and construction work. They added that a clearly established money trail would provide a stronger legal basis for initiating action against properties allegedly acquired with proceeds of crime, including possible demolition proceedings.
However, there was no clarity on Friday over any proposed bulldozer action against properties linked to the accused, including those allegedly associated with the prime accused, Anukalp Mishra.
Investigators are also examining recent purchases of immovable assets by the accused and their relatives. According to the sources, some of the accused had recently purchased land and were constructing houses. Police are verifying whether these investments were financed using money allegedly siphoned off from temple donations.
Police are also likely to seek the custodial remand of two more accused in the case for further interrogation, the sources said. Earlier, investigators had secured the police remand of Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey to question them about the alleged embezzlement, the disposal of cash and the role of other suspects.
Meanwhile, Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Construction Committee chairman Nripendra Misra visited Ayodhya on Friday and offered prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple.
The sources said Misra was in Ayodhya to review the ongoing construction work at the Ram temple complex. This was his first visit to the temple town after the meeting of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust held on Monday.
The probe has gathered pace since the alleged embezzlement came to light, with the Uttar Pradesh Police arresting eight people, including temple employees associated with the donation-counting process.
Investigators have alleged that cash offerings made by devotees were systematically siphoned off over a period by exploiting security and procedural lapses during the donation-counting process.
Following the detection of the alleged fraud, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has tightened security and overhauled the donation-counting process.
The counting process has been brought under stricter surveillance, with enhanced frisking and closer monitoring of personnel handling donations.
The state government had earlier constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged embezzlement and identify systemic lapses in the handling of temple donations.