Champat Rai Blames Aide Tinnu Yadav For Ram Temple Donation Theft

Former Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai has reportedly blamed his former aide and driver, Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, for the alleged theft of donations collected at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. According to sources, Rai told people close to him that Tinnu Yadav was the central figure behind the alleged embezzlement and had misused the trust placed in him. Rai is also said to have claimed that when Yadav sensed the investigation closing in, he leaked information related to the case to a Samajwadi Party leader. The allegations surfaced as the investigation into the high-profile donation theft case continues to expand.

Tinnu Yadav is among the eight people arrested in connection with the alleged theft of temple offerings. The other accused are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava. Police have been investigating the alleged diversion of donations collected from devotees, with multiple raids and recoveries carried out over the past several weeks. Authorities believe the case involves a coordinated operation that allegedly targeted funds meant for the temple trust.

Investigators have also recorded Champat Rai's statement as part of the probe. While officials have not disclosed when or where the questioning took place, sources said he was asked to provide documents and information related to the handling of temple donations and the alleged financial irregularities. Rai resigned as the general secretary of the Ram Temple Trust on June 27 after the controversy erupted. Trustee Anil Mishra also stepped down around the same time, although officials have not linked the resignations directly to the investigation.

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According to investigators, Tinnu Yadav was responsible for transporting donations from the temple's collection boxes to the counting room in the basement. The probe has found that he allegedly possessed one key to the counting room, while the second key was held by bank personnel. Police suspect that donations were siphoned off through alleged collusion between Yadav and certain bank staff, with the stolen money reportedly shared among those involved. Three days ago, Ayodhya Police also searched the residences of all the accused, recovering cash from Tinnu Yadav's home during the operation.

The investigation has also widened to include individuals connected to the accused. Police are examining a photograph that has gone viral on social media showing Amit Shukla, the brother of accused Avinash Shukla, holding bundles of currency notes. Investigators will verify the authenticity of the image, believed to have been taken in August last year, and may question Amit Shukla as part of the inquiry. Officials said the largest recovery in the case so far, amounting to ₹89 lakh, was made based on information allegedly provided by Avinash Shukla.

Police also recovered cash from a hideout in Kaushalpuri that is linked to Avinash Shukla's brother Abhishek. According to Seema Tiwari, who operates a yoga centre at the premises, officers raided the location on June 5 and recovered a substantial amount of cash concealed inside blankets stored in four boxes belonging to Abhishek. One of the boxes reportedly bore the words "Ram Rajya Kosh." Tiwari claimed that when questioned about the raid, Abhishek allegedly said the police action was related to his brother Avinash's alleged involvement in the drug trade. Police are continuing their investigation to verify all claims and determine the extent of the alleged embezzlement network.

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