Ram Mandir donation theft: Police detain accused's uncle, question jeweller in Ayodhya

Police have detained and questioned the uncle of jailed accused Anukalp Mishra and a jeweller from Inayatnagar market in connection with the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft case, police sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, Ramendra Mishra, the uncle of Anukalp Mishra, and the jeweller were questioned as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of temple donations.

Earlier in the day, a police team took three accused from the Ayodhya District Jail for custodial interrogation after a local court granted one day of police custody in the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.

The accused - Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra and Karunesh Pandey - were escorted from the district jail to the Ayodhya Police Lines as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations received at the Ram Temple.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Ayodhya court allowed one-day police custody of the three accused after the police argued that their custodial interrogation was necessary to further the investigation. The Investigating Officer (IO) informed the court that questioning the accused in custody would help establish additional facts related to the case.

Police had initially sought seven days of custody for the three accused, who are currently lodged in jail.

The custody plea followed an earlier round of questioning conducted inside the jail on Sunday, when a police team interrogated five accused. Based on information that emerged during those interrogations, investigators approached the court seeking custody of three of them for further examination.

The alleged embezzlement case has drawn significant attention after a Special Investigation Team (SIT), in its preliminary report submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government, found prima facie evidence of theft and pilferage during the counting of donations at the Ram Temple.

Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided that Gopal Rao, also known as Gopal Nagarkatte, will no longer be invited to its meetings, Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor to Trust President Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said on Tuesday following a recent high-level meeting of the Trust in Ayodhya.

ALSO READ | Himachal monsoon alert: IMD forecasts heavy rain, landslide risks in Shimla, Kullu & Mandi