Ayodhya : What began with staff allegedly sneaking out a few Rs 500 notes from Ayodhya’s Ram Temple donation-counting centre eventually snowballed into a theft estimated at Rs 2-3 crore, according to findings from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the embezzlement of devotees’ offerings. The case surfaced after irregularities were detected in the temple’s donation-counting system, triggering an investigation that has since led to multiple arrests, cash recoveries and scrutiny of the mechanisms governing the handling of donations at the Ram Temple.
According to investigators, six employees involved in the donation-counting process began stealing within two to three months of joining the system. During questioning, the accused allegedly told investigators that they initially hid one or two Rs 500 notes in their clothes and carried them out of the counting facility. As the thefts went undetected, investigators said, their confidence grew. The accused allegedly moved from stealing individual notes to taking bundles of cash before eventually siphoning off much larger sums from devotees’ offerings.
The SIT investigation has also uncovered major lapses in monitoring and enforcement within the donation-counting system. According to sources familiar with the probe, the accused took advantage of weak surveillance of CCTV cameras installed in the counting area. Investigators found that the control room was at times left unattended, reducing oversight and making it easier for employees to remove cash without immediate detection.
A detailed framework governing the collection, counting and banking of donations had been put in place between the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and the State Bank of India (SBI) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and officially recorded meetings held in 2024 and 2025. The SOPs also mandated CCTV monitoring, daily reporting and regular maintenance of records. However, investigators found that several of these safeguards were either ignored or poorly enforced.
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