New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into alleged financial irregularities at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has directed trust officials and temple functionaries to not leave the city. The restriction came just before the three-member SIT departed for Lucknow on Sunday (June 21).Temple insiders told news agency PTI that investigators have flagged serious gaps in the way gold, silver, diamonds, and other precious items donated by devotees were recorded and accounted.When probed on the matter, several trust office-bearers reportedly failed to give coherent explanations about how these valuables were inventoried, stored, and accounted, PTI reported.The period between January and February 2025, when the Maha Kumbh Mela drew massive crowds to Ayodhya, is allegedly when “major irregularities” may have occurred, sources told PTI.Sources claimed that close to ten lakh pilgrims were visiting the temple each day throughout that stretch, with donation boxes reportedly overflowing with cash within hours of being placed.Also read: ‘Ayodhya May Remain in the Hands of Thieves’: Former Kar Sevak Who Filed Complaint Over Alleged Theft of Ram Temple FundsBesides the initial allegations of fund misappropriation, investigators have also been scrutinising the temple trust’s land acquisitions across different phases and the procurement of construction materials. Parties including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have earlier flagged that land was purchased at prices far exceeding prevailing market rates.The investigation team has reportedly been maintaining digital records of all questioning sessions and findings on a daily basis. These are being shared with the Chief Minister’s Office on a rolling basis, and a final consolidated report is expected to be placed before Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath, the report mentioned.The SIT, comprising Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, Inspector General of Police S. Kiran, and Finance Department Special Secretary Neel Ratan, was constituted on June 13 at the request of the temple trust itself, after allegations of donation misappropriation came to light.Also read: Politic | Theft in Ram Temple: An Unpardonable SinNotably, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been at the centre of a controversy owing to allegations related to the embezzlement of funds and theft of valuable offerings from within the temple premises.As The Wire reported earlier, Santosh Dubey, a former kar sevak who joined the Ram Janmbhoomi movement in the late 1980s, has submitted a complaint at the Ram Janmbhoomi police station in Ayodhya in connection with this matter.“Why is Bulldozer Baba (Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath) not taking any action in this case? This also raises questions about Modi’s ED [Enforcement Directorate]. Those who have looted money belonging to Ram, what action has been taken? There isn’t any response,” Dubey told The Wire.Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government’s Information and Public Relations Department said that the SIT has not submitted its report to chief minister Adityanath yet.“The SIT has not yet submitted its investigation report to chief minister Adityanathji in the case related to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. News reports published in some newspapers regarding this matter are misleading and factually baseless. Please do not believe unverified information and rely only on information obtained from official sources,” the department wrote in a post on X.This article is updated with Uttar Pradesh government’s Information and Public Relations Department’s post on X and republished at 2.44 pm IST on the same day.