ADA issues notice to Ram Temple donation theft accused’s wife as probe intensifies

The Ayodhya Development Authority issued a notice over alleged unauthorised construction linked to Ram temple donation theft accused Lavkush Mishra's wife. Police intensified the embezzlement probe, conducted searches, recovered cash and valuables, and continued investigating the arrested suspects

Ayodhya (UP): The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has served a notice to the wife of Ram temple donation theft accused Lavkush Mishra over the alleged unauthorised construction of a house under her name, as the police intensified their investigation into the alleged embezzlement case, official and police sources said on Thursday.

According to ADA sources, the house under construction is located in Banvirpur village in Sohawal tehsil. The land was purchased in the name of Lavkush Mishra’s wife, Supriya Mishra, and the construction was undertaken without obtaining the mandatory approval from the development authority.

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Police sources said investigators also searched Lavkush Mishra’s residence on Wednesday and questioned his family members as part of the ongoing probe.

Investigators may tighten the legal proceedings against accused Avinash Shukla, from whose possession the highest cash recovery in the case has been made so far, police sources indicated.

According to police sources, cash recoveries made during the investigation include Rs 20.39 lakh from Avinash Shukla, Rs 18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey, Rs 16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra, Rs 14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra, Rs 7.32 lakh from Ramashankar Mishra and Rs 1 lakh from Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinnu. The police have also recovered around 11 grams of gold, about 375 grams of silver and USD 1,121 during the investigation.

In a significant recovery, investigators seized a donation box labelled “Ramrajya Kosh” bearing a Paytm QR code from a yoga centre in Ayodhya where Avinash Shukla had been staying for nearly a decade, police sources said.

The alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donations came to light on June 7. Later, an FIR was registered on June 25 following a preliminary report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was constituted by the UP government.

Eight persons associated with the temple’s donation-counting process have been arrested in the case, and the investigation is continuing.