Police raid homes of 8 accused in Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft case

The investigation into the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has picked up pace. Early on Sunday, police raided the houses of all eight accused arrested in the case. The action comes after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, submitted its initial report. Earlier, police had recovered more than ₹80 lakh in cash, and they are now looking for more evidence linked to the case.

Police searched the homes of all the 8 accused. At some places, officers had to wait and make efforts to get the doors opened before carrying out the searches, cited reports. During the raids, police also spoke to family members and neighbours to gather information about the accused.

Financial background check

Investigators are now checking the financial background of those arrested. They want to know what their financial condition was before they started working at the temple and whether their assets increased after they were given the job of counting donation money. Officials believe this information could help strengthen the investigation.

Ayodhya Ram Temple donation row

Based on the SIT report, an FIR was registered against eight people who had been hired by the Ram Mandir Trust to count cash donations. All of them were arrested within hours of the case being registered.

Meanwhile, opposition parties and some local residents have questioned the delay in filing the FIR. They claim the week-long gap after the SIT was formed may have given the accused enough time to hide money or destroy important documents. However, the Ayodhya Police have said the investigation is still underway and that witness verification and other legal procedures will continue.