As the investigation into the alleged theft of donations at Ram Mandir deepens, new details of the case are emerging. Police have established the existence of a secluded location that served as a gathering point for the suspects. It was here, after the funds were taken from the temple, that they met to conduct calculations, divide the money, and discuss further steps.
Meeting Location
According to police sources, this secluded area is on the outskirts of the Ayodhya-Lucknow highway, about 14 kos from the Parikrama route. At first glance, the place resembles a regular truck repair site, but during the investigation, it was revealed that the most important meetings regarding the entire scheme took place there.
Group Composition and Fund Distribution
After committing the theft, the suspects did not go straight home. First, they arrived at this isolated location. Avinash Shukla, Lavkarsh Mishra, Anukal Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav, known as Tinnu, and other accused gathered there. Later, Tinnu's nephew also joined these meetings. This is where the stolen money was withdrawn, accounted for, and the share for each person was determined. During interrogations, the main suspect Avinash Shukla stated that most of the funds were divided roughly equally, although sometimes some received a larger share. The entire network was influenced by Tinnu, whose opinion was considered the most authoritative.
Course of Investigation
The police questioned why they went to this specific location. During a 13-hour interrogation while in custody on Saturday, the Ayodhya police were not just questioning Avinash Shukla; they were trying to piece together all the information obtained during the interrogation. Initially, the police took him to the Shyam Sadhana yoga center in Kaushlpuri to search for documents and other evidence. Then, the police convoy headed directly to that secluded zone on the Parikrama route, where the criminal meetings after the theft were allegedly held. Investigators wanted to understand how the suspects got there, how long they stayed, and how the money was distributed.
Threats and Record Manipulation
Another piece of information uncovered during the interrogation proved extremely important for the investigative authorities. According to sources, Avinash stated that the group felt less fear of being caught because they were confident that CCTV footage would not be used against them as evidence. It was found out that Ramashankar Yadav, or Tinnu, allegedly told the other accused: 'Nothing will happen... the CCTV recordings will be deleted.' Sources report that the accused repeatedly contacted the control room to interfere with the surveillance system and deleted recordings on one or two occasions. Nevertheless, the police claim that they managed to save many important recordings, which are now the strongest link in the case.
Acquisition of Property with Stolen Funds
Avinash Shukla also told during the interrogation that the stolen money was not simply spent but was also used to acquire assets. According to police information, a Brezza car was purchased with this money. He bought it in the name of his brother, who is a teacher, believing it would not arouse suspicion. Information about building a house in the village and transferring a large sum of money to his brother also surfaced during the interrogation. This car was discovered by the police upon the suspect's instruction during the release.
Further Development of the Investigation
Sources report that during the interrogation, the police showed Avinash about 45 days of CCTV footage. Seeing himself at the time of the alleged theft, he could not deny it for long and admitted to the fact of the theft. After Avinash's interrogation, the police are moving on to the other accused. After obtaining court permission, investigators plan to interrogate Anukal Mishra, Lavkarsh Mishra, Ramashankar Yadav, Tinnu, Karunesh Pandey, and Manish Yadav in prison. Currently, the police are methodically assembling all the pieces of the puzzle: from the yoga center to the Brezza car, from the surveillance systems to the secluded spot on the Parikrama route. With each new stage of the interrogation, new facets of this alleged donation theft case are being revealed.
