New Delhi: The massive theft of public donations from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was first detected in 2021, as per an interview given by Mahipal Singh who served as the accounts in charge for the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust between January 2021 and May 2022. During an interview with journalist Abhishek Upadhyay on YouTube and cited by the BBC Hindi, Singh laid bare the precise mechanics of this theft. His daily duty stationed him directly at the counting centre of the police outpost where all cash offerings from devotees were officially tallied.In his conversation with Upadhyay, Singh identified bank officials Ratnesh Chaturvedi and Gagandeep who visited the counting site regularly. Fourteen men were employed to sort the currency notes while Singh oversaw the process. Singh began to notice a pattern where these boys packed more bundles of cash than they recorded on the official vouchers. The workers deliberately undervalued the voucher figures and siphoned the surplus money. When his suspicions peaked one day, he demanded that a specific cash box be opened, discovering instantly that five lakh rupees were being actively stolen right in front of him.File photo: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust members Champat Rai, right, and Anil Mishra addressing a press conference, in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on April 15, 2024. Photo: PTISingh reported this theft directly to trust members, Gopal Rao and Champat Rai in December 2021. Instead of investigating the crime and punishing the culprits, the trust leadership retaliated against the whistleblower. Anil Mishra, another trustee who has now resigned, immediately replaced Singh with another individual, forcing Singh to stop attending his official duties. Tinnu Yadav, the trusted driver of Rai, was the person signing the manipulated vouchers. As per Singh, Rai placed immense trust in Yadav and refused to entertain any complaints against him. To cover their tracks, the perpetrators permanently deleted eight months of CCTV footage. Also read: ‘Never Got a Receipt for Washing Machine Donation Despite Repeatedly Asking,’ Says Ayodhya BusinessmanSingh eventually informed lifelong trustee Dheerendra Das about the operation. Das casually dismissed the gravity of the theft by merely stating that Lord Ram would soon punish the guilty, offering zero administrative accountability. Upadhyay confirmed in his report that the trust leadership had full knowledge of the matter for years but intentionally allowed the theft to continue. The coverup efforts escalated immediately after the interview aired to the public. Upadhyay received phone calls from Singh demanding the video be taken down, a demand he flatly refused. The BBC Hindi reports that it seems that intimidation and pressure were applied on Singh, who had spoken to the journalist frequently up to two weeks prior, but his mobile phone is now permanently switched off.Singh’s claims reveal that the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) constantly assured the public that the highest standards of integrity would be maintained at the temple. Instead, they presided over an environment that enabled organised theft.Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir illuminated with decorative lights on the eve of ‘Dhwajarohan Utsav’, in Ayodhya. Photo: @ShriRamTeerth/X via PTI.A news report in The Indian Express has corroborated the systemic nature of this organised theft, citing sources who revealed that the matter only became public due to infighting between two trust members over recruitment and the stolen funds. A police officer confirmed to the newspaper that temple officials had long known about the theft, actively allowing it to go unchecked and completely ignored until recent events forced the revelations. When first caught, the employees were simply asked to deposit the stolen money back into the accounts in a bid to contain the scandal. The cash counting center had two CCTV control rooms, one monitored by the police and the other by trust officials. Investigators are probing the roles of police and SBI officials because such organised theft requires complicity across multiple institutional levels. Despite a massive deployment of eight Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) companies, 500 CRPF personnel, and 750 Uttar Pradesh police officers, the security checks at the counting room were insufficient. Ayodhya police have successfully recovered Rs 80 lakh and foreign currency from seven of the eight arrested individuals.Also read: ‘Theft In the House of Ram Lalla Means Ravana Has Already Reached’: Nirmohi Akhada Chief Mahant Dinendra DasAn executive committee meeting of the trust is scheduled for July 6 in Ayodhya, where the agenda items, as per Hindustan Times, include the proposed resignations of trust general secretary Rai and trustee Mishra, alongside discussions on the ongoing SIT probe and the audit report. Swami Govind Dev Giri mentioned these items in a formal letter dated June 28. Both Rai and Mishra were expected to present their versions of events at the meeting. Meanwhile, The Times of India has reported that the SIT is physically reconstructing the donation management process from the collection boxes to the final bank deposits. Mishra and Rao were subjected to ten hours of questioning regarding basic operating procedures and financial controls. Investigators suspect the theft was not an isolated incident but a long-term exploitation of bypassed safeguards.Also read: Congress Leader Digvijaya Singh to March From Ujjain to Ayodhya to Protest Embezzlement CaseThe SIT, comprising officials like Vijay Vishwas Pant and Kiran S., is preparing to conduct a re-audit of the trust accounts spanning the past five years, reports The Hindu. This audit will rigorously scrutinise construction expenditure as well as the gold, silver, and jewellery received as donations. Ayodhya police recently interrogated key suspect Avinash Shukla, who worked directly in the donation counting process and was remanded in police custody by a local court.The Ram Temple project was presented by the RSS and the BJP as a symbol of national faith and integrity. The reality exposed by these investigations paints a picture of orchestrated theft and moral corruption. Devotees gave their hard-earned money only for trust officials to facilitate a massive looting operation, but the political leadership under Narendra Modi continues to maintain public silence.