Banks notified in Ram temple offering theft probe, accounts under scrutiny

Ayodhya, July 2 – As part of the ongoing probe into the theft of offerings from the Ram temple, investigative agencies have served notices to six banks, seeking comprehensive information on accounts, lockers and transactions linked to the temple trust and associated persons.

The notices, dispatched to State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Kenara Bank and three other financial institutions, request details of deposits, withdrawals and safe‑deposit locker holdings that may pertain to the alleged diversion of temple donations. Authorities aim to trace any financial trails that could connect the accused, including Avinash Shukla, to the missing offerings.

Earlier court action on June 29 placed eight individuals in a 14‑day judicial custody, while police continue to interrogate a larger pool of roughly 70‑80 suspects. Mobile devices of these persons have been sent to a forensic science laboratory to recover deleted chat logs and data.

A petition urging the Supreme Court to monitor the handling of temple donations was turned down, leaving the investigative agencies to pursue the financial inquiries independently. Officials anticipate that the bank‑level scrutiny will yield critical evidence in the coming days.