Stories
Ram Mandir 'Chanda Chori' Row: SIT Files Exhaustive Chargesheet Against 8 Accused
- •The Uttar Pradesh Police's SIT is set to submit a comprehensive chargesheet against 8 accused in the Ram Mandir donation misappropriation probe, backed by extensive evidence.
- •The investigation, stemming from a June 2026 FIR, uncovered 105 instances of unauthorized currency removal from the counting room through CCTV analysis.
- •Forensic audits and witness statements led to the formal implication of eight primary suspects, with Rs 79.85 lakh in cash recovered so far.
- •The SIT highlighted severe operational and procedural lapses, including lack of physical frisking and informal hundi key custody, that facilitated the thefts.
- •The probe found no discrepancies in precious metal offerings or high-value artifacts, and dismissed social media claims of missing items as unsubstantiated rumors.
Key Questions Answered
The SIT built its case using extensive CCTV analysis from the Pilgrim Facilitation Centre, which revealed 105 distinct instances of unauthorized currency removal. Investigators also utilized forensic accounting, financial tracking, physical recoveries totaling Rs 79.85 lakh in cash, and statements from 173 witnesses including trust officials, security staff, and vendors.
The SIT report highlighted critical security breakdowns that enabled the systemic thefts, including a lack of mandatory physical frisking for personnel entering or exiting the counting room and the absence of continuous security coverage during counting sessions. Other lapses involved keeping hundi keys informally without written authorization and failing to retain or prematurely deleting CCTV footage.
No, investigators found no discrepancies regarding precious metal offerings or high-value artifacts. Verification confirmed that 803 valuable items in Trust records were safely stored in a State Bank of India locker, 86 additional items were cataloged without issue, and records concerning 944.411 kilograms of silver sent for melting showed no irregularities.
