Connecting the dots in the money trail after having questioned Avinash Shukla, one of the eight men arrested in the Ram temple donation theft case, the Uttar Pradesh Police will move a court on Monday seeking police custody remand of two more accused – the brother-in-law duo Lavkush Mishra and Anukalp Mishra as investigators seek to unearth the formula for distributing the allegedly stolen money, including how and on what ground the shares were decided and whether the cash was used to acquire movable or immovable assets, senior officials privy to the police probe said.
The police will also look to verify crucial disclosures made by co-accused Avinash Shukla, who was taken to multiple locations in Ayodhya on Friday, including a hotel where the embezzled cash was allegedly distributed among the accused, the officials added. Shukla was also taken to his native Pratapgarh district for searches at locations he identified.
Earlier searches at Shukla’s rented accommodation in Ayodhya yielded around ₹20 lakh in cash, 1,100 US dollars, gold and silver ornaments and a donation box marked “Ram Rajya Kosh,” recoveries that substantially widened the scope of the investigation. Police also showed recovery of ₹16.82 lakh from Anukalp and ₹14.25 lakh from Lavkush during raids conducted last week. Police recovered a car and a motorcycle from locations linked to Avinash.
On Thursday, police secured 24-hour custody remand of Avinash Shukla from additional district judge (Anti-Corruption) Rajat Varma (from 5pm on Thursday to 5pm on Friday).
{{/usCountry}}On Thursday, police secured 24-hour custody remand of Avinash Shukla from additional district judge (Anti-Corruption) Rajat Varma (from 5pm on Thursday to 5pm on Friday).
{{/usCountry}}Police officials said Shukla disclosed information regarding concealed cash and valuables, prompting investigators to conduct recovery operations and verify his claims on the ground.
The senior police officials quoted above also said the custodial interrogation of Lavkush and his brother-in-law Anukalp is critical for cross-checking facts revealed by Shukla, confronting them with evidence collected during the investigation and recovering additional cash, gold and silver ornaments allegedly siphoned off from devotees’ offerings. Anukalp Mishra and Luvkush Mishra are related to trust member Anil Mishra, who resigned last week along with trust general secretary Champat Rai.
Officials said Shukla’s statements now need independent corroboration through the custodial interrogation of the remaining accused, particularly Lavkush and Anukalp, who investigators suspect may possess crucial information about the alleged movement, concealment and disposal of devotees’ donations.
Investigators expect to confront the duo with documentary evidence, digital records and Shukla’s disclosures to establish whether their accounts are consistent or contradictory.
Officials said seeking custody of Lavkush and Anukalp is part of the next phase of the criminal investigation, aimed at reconstructing the alleged conspiracy through corroborated evidence, effecting further recoveries and strengthening the prosecution’s case before filing the chargesheet.
Police are also likely to question them about the distribution of the allegedly misappropriated money, each accused’s role, and whether any other individuals were involved in the alleged conspiracy.
Besides making recoveries, investigators are tracing the alleged proceeds of the crime and examining whether the money was used to acquire movable or immovable assets. Police are already verifying the purchase of a motorcycle and a four-wheeler allegedly linked to Shukla to determine whether they were financed using the misappropriated donations.
On July 2, the Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) served a notice over an allegedly unauthorised three-storey under-construction house owned by the wife of Lavkush Mishra, giving her a week to explain why action should not be taken for allegedly violating building bylaws.
“A notice has been issued to Supriya Mishra, wife of Lavkush Mishra, regarding violation of the development authority laws in the construction of their premises in Banveerpur village of Sohawal tehsil. The land was purchased in her name, while the construction was allegedly undertaken without obtaining mandatory approval from the development authority,” Rakesh Kumar Mishra, secretary of ADA, said.
On June 25, a first information report was registered against the eight named accused and other unidentified people under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), relating to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy, along with Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Krishna Mohan, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The eight men arrested so far include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Rama Shankar Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey. Among those arrested, six are outsourced employees engaged in counting devotees’ donations.
“Ram Shankar Yadav was paid by the trust and Srivastava, a former bank employee, didn’t draw wages, a person in the Trust, who asked not to be named, had said earlier this week.
Simultaneously, the three-member SIT continues its broader inquiry into the Trust’s financial systems, donation handling procedures and institutional oversight.