LUCKNOW: Ayodhya Police are set to widen the investigation into the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case after preliminary interrogation of arrested accused Avinash Shukla revealed that stolen donation cash was allegedly hidden inside washrooms within the temple complex before being smuggled out, police sources said on Wednesday.The disclosures emerged after Ayodhya Police, with court permission, questioned Shukla for nearly two hours inside the district jail on Tuesday.According to police sources, the accused had closely studied the layout of the donation counting centre and were familiar with the placement of CCTV cameras inside the temple complex. Investigators suspect they exploited gaps in the surveillance system and loopholes in the donation counting process to repeatedly siphon off cash without raising suspicion.Police allege the stolen money was first concealed inside washrooms within the temple premises before being removed in small quantities whenever an opportunity arose, minimising the risk of immediate detection.The investigation has now shifted towards reconstructing the movement of the stolen cash inside the temple complex. Investigators are preparing to question maintenance staff responsible for cleaning the washrooms to determine whether they noticed any suspicious activity, found abandoned cash packets or unknowingly came across locations allegedly used to temporarily stash the stolen money.Police will also seek to corroborate Shukla’s claims through forensic examination, CCTV footage analysis and witness statements.During the interrogation, Shukla allegedly told investigators that one of the two keys to the donation counting room remained with co-accused Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, while the second key was with bank officials overseeing the counting process.The probe has further revealed that the alleged thefts were carried out in a coordinated manner. Investigators suspect one accused removed cash while others deliberately formed a human shield around him to block the view of people present inside the counting room and shield the theft from notice.Police are also examining whether CCTV blind spots and inadequate real-time monitoring of surveillance cameras allowed the alleged embezzlement to continue undetected for an extended period.Simultaneously, investigators are tracing the financial trail after Shukla allegedly disclosed that a portion of the embezzled money was invested in the purchase of land and a residential property. Financial records, bank transactions and property documents linked to the accused are being scrutinised to establish how the allegedly stolen funds were used.The eight accused arrested so far are Avinash Shukla, Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Ram Shankar Mishra.Ayodhya Police are continuing the investigation to identify any additional conspirators, determine whether institutional lapses facilitated the alleged embezzlement, and establish how the alleged theft of temple donations continued over a prolonged period without being detected.
