Ayodhya Police has recorded the statement of Champat Rai as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement of donations in Ram temple. The development comes days after Rai offered to resign, citing “moral responsibility” for the controversy. According to PTI News, a police officer confirmed that Rai's statement has been recorded, but did not say when and where the interrogation took place.
Ayodhya Circle Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, who is leading the investigation, sources said. Champat Rai Went to Bharat Kuti's house in Karsevakpuram to record his statement.
According to sources, investigators sought information and documents related to the alleged theft of temple donations. Rai is believed to have become aware of the suspected irregularities before the issue escalated into a political controversy.
Officials declined to comment on reports that Rai had made a mistake in delaying filing an FIR after learning about the alleged theft, saying details of the investigation remain confidential.
This controversy first came to light on June 7. It was alleged that donations have been misused in the Ram temple. At that time, Rai had rejected the allegations and said that no major irregularities had been found in the internal audit. Sources say that the Trust was aware of the irregularities even before June 7.
Following the allegations, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 13 June. The SIT's initial investigation reportedly pointed to several violations of the temple's standard operating procedure for handling donations, including lapses in securing CCTV footage, security checks and management of donation box keys.
Based on the SIT report submitted on June 23, the police registered an FIR on June 25 and arrested eight people associated with the temple's donation-counting process. Officials said that so far around Rs 80 lakh in cash and foreign currency has been recovered from the six accused.
Those arrested also include Champat Rai's former driver Ramashankar Yadav alias Tinu Yadav, who allegedly had keys of several donation boxes in violation of the laid down procedure. After taking permission from the court, the police also interrogated another accused Avinash Shukla inside the district jail on Tuesday.
Investigators are probing the alleged embezzlement and finding out why there was a delay in filing the FIR. The case has sparked a political storm, with opposition parties demanding greater accountability from the temple trust and officials as the investigation progresses.
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