Ayodhya donation probe: Was jewellery melted into gold biscuits?

As the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Temple gathers pace, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is reportedly expanding its probe into the alleged money trail, possible theft of gold ornaments, and the role of bank officials involved in the temple's donation-counting process.

Investigators are also reportedly examining whether stolen jewellery was melted into gold biscuits to conceal its identity, while fresh estimates suggest that around Rs 6-8 lakh may have been siphoned off from the temple every day.

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According to NDTV reports, officials associated with the bank handling the temple's donations told the SIT that before the alleged theft came to light, daily deposits into the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's bank accounts averaged between Rs 16 lakh and Rs 18 lakh. After the case surfaced, the average reportedly increased to Rs 24-26 lakh per day. Based on these figures, investigators suspect that around Rs 6-8 lakh may have been diverted daily from donations, though the exact amount is yet to be officially established.

SBI employees under scanner

The temple's cash-counting process is overseen by the State Bank of India (SBI), which had outsourced the counting work to a private agency. Donations collected from four collection boxes are counted by a 14-member team comprising 11 bank personnel and three representatives of the temple trust.

During the probe, the role of several SBI employees has reportedly come under scrutiny, with the SIT questioning why the agreed protocol for handling donations was allegedly not followed and why suspected irregularities were not escalated to senior officials. Investigators also questioned the decision to allow personnel from a private security agency to participate in cash-counting operations.

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Police are also expected to approach the Enforcement Directorate to investigate the financial trail and examine whether proceeds from the alleged theft were routed through other channels.

Jewellery turned into biscuits?

Another key focus of the investigation is the alleged disappearance of gold and silver ornaments donated by devotees. According to reports by India Today, the SIT suspects some of the stolen jewellery may have been melted into gold biscuits to erase identifying features after repeated searches failed to recover the missing valuables. As part of the inquiry, officials visited the Ram Temple and questioned temple in-charge K D Babu regarding the inventory, storage and accounting of jewellery and other precious offerings.

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Investigators have sought records relating to ornaments sent to banks and the government-run Printing and Minting Corporation of India for testing and processing. Sources also claimed that while the trust regularly reviewed cash donations during quarterly meetings, detailed records of gold, silver and other valuable offerings were allegedly not maintained with the same level of scrutiny.

SIT probe

The SIT is also considering a re-audit of the trust's accounts covering the past five years, including donations, construction expenditure and valuable offerings.

Based on its preliminary findings, an FIR was registered, and eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process have been arrested so far.