Devotees waited 500 long years for the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Hundreds gave their lives for it, and crores of worshippers handed over their life savings to see it built. After the pran pratishtha, Ram bhakts not just in India but across the world donated generously. Now serious questions hang over that very donation money. Allegations have surfaced that crores of rupees in offerings have vanished from the temple, with critics calling it a betrayal of Sanatani faith.
Yogi Government Acts, SIT Probe Underway
Because the matter strikes directly at the faith of devotees, the Uttar Pradesh government has swung into action. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made it clear that those who have wronged Prabhu Ram will not be spared under any circumstances. To uncover exactly what was stolen and how, the government has set up an SIT. So far the SIT has questioned more than 40 people, with each suspect being grilled in a closed room. It is also claimed that lakhs of rupees in cash were recovered from some of the suspects.
The 6 Suspects Under the Scanner
For now, six faces are on the SIT's radar. What makes it interesting is that once some of these names came out, the very people who had made the most noise about the missing crores began to change their tune. Here is who these suspects are and what they are accused of.
Tinnu Yadav: He is described as an associate of Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The job of depositing the temple's offerings into the bank was handled by him. Once an auto driver, Tinnu Yadav came under scrutiny because he now owns property worth 50 crore.
Manish Yadav: He is Tinnu Yadav's nephew and was among those counting the offerings. It is alleged that Tinnu Yadav himself arranged his job. On Manish Yadav's information, 36 lakh rupees in cash is claimed to have been recovered.
The third suspect: He was responsible for looking after the gold and silver idols and jewellery donated to the temple. He recently bought land worth 1.5 crore and is accused of amassing property worth 5 crore.
The fourth suspect: He was among the staff who counted the donated currency notes. A sudden change in his lifestyle over the past five to six years brought him under suspicion.
The fifth suspect: He too was among those counting the notes. He landed on the SIT's radar after 10 lakh rupees in cash was recovered from his home.
The sixth suspect: He is Lavkush's brother-in-law and used to count the notes. He came under scrutiny after recently buying a house worth around 65 lakh and building a farmhouse in his village.
Akhilesh Yadav's Shifting Stand
On one side, CM Yogi is in action mode to bring out the truth, and the noose is visibly tightening around the accused. On the other side, Akhilesh Yadav, who was the first to open a front on the missing crores, appears to be changing his tune. The same Akhilesh Yadav who earlier called it a betrayal of Sanatani faith and demanded the Supreme Court step in is now branding the SIT probe an insult to Sanatan and arguing that decisions are being taken with the cameras switched off.
The Rules on Offerings and Their Loopholes
There are set rules for handling offerings at the Ram Mandir, but each rule carries a gap that fuels suspicion.
- Rule: Offerings are counted daily under CCTV surveillance. Gap: Devotees can neither watch the counting nor is the CCTV footage made public.
- Rule: The amount is recorded in a register, kept in a locker and deposited in the bank the next day. Gap: No official information on the offerings is released to the public on a regular basis.
- Rule: Full details of the offerings are made public only after an audit, the last time being December 2025. Gap: There is no information on how much was offered between December 2025 and June 2026.
- Rule: In most large temples, the audit is carried out by insiders or the government. Gap: Here, the entire audit of the offering amount is done by the private company TCS.
How Much Has Been Spent So Far
The last information to emerge was shared on 13 December 2025. According to the trust, 2475 crore rupees have been spent so far. This amount was used over 5 years and 9 months on temple construction, the expansion of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi complex and other works.
