As the probe continues in the alleged embezzlement of donations received at the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, investigating officers while examining the CCTV footage have found that 70 theft attempts were made from April 27 to June 5, said sources on Friday.
They said a person identified as Manish Kumar Yadav could be seen making a theft attempt on several occasions on the CCTV, but no action was taken against him.
According to sources, the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probe the matter has also found that there were major lapses in the handling the donations during the counting process. It has also examined the internal audit reports for the financial years 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25, which pointed to several procedural deficiencies.
The SIT further found that the records were not appropriately made, and the internal control system was 'extremely weak'. Furthermore, there was no clarity on accountability at the supervisory level, sources said.
8 arrested till now, further arrests likely
Till now, eight accused, including Champat Rai's key aide Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, have been arrested. The other accused are Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Lav Kush Mishra, Rama Shankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.
Sources have informed that more people are likely to be arrested based on the SIT's recommendation.
Adityanath promises strict action
Promising strict action in the matter, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the guilty will not be spared. Speaking during an event in Deoria, he also targeted the opposition - the Samajwadi Party and the Congress - for politicising the issue and said playing with the public sentiment is unacceptable.
"Ayodhya is a symbol of the faith of all of us and of Sanatan Dharma. Do not cast an evil eye on Ayodhya. Learn to uphold the dignity of Lord Ram. We had said an SIT had been constituted and that action would begin as soon as its report was received," Adityanath said.
"The SIT report came and action started immediately. I assure you that, as I had said, we will separate truth from falsehood," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister added.
