LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday intensified their probe into the alleged embezzlement of donations from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, conducting searches at the homes of three arrested accused, recovering cash, jewellery and a car, and freezing 15 bank accounts linked to their relatives to trace the alleged money trail.The searches came a day after a local court granted police custody of Anukalp Mishra, Karunesh Pandey and Lavkush Mishra, allowing investigators to verify disclosures made during interrogation and trace assets allegedly purchased using siphoned temple donations.Police first took Anukalp Mishra to his residence in Ayodhya, where officers questioned family members about financial transactions, investments and recent purchases while examining documents and valuables. Similar searches were conducted at the homes of Karunesh Pandey and Lavkush Mishra.According to police sources, the searches led to the recovery of around Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, gold jewellery, including earrings and pendants, and a car registered in the name of Anukalp Mishra’s father. Earlier, investigators had recovered Rs 20.39 lakh from Anukalp — the highest cash recovery among the eight arrested so far.Investigators are examining whether the recovered assets were purchased using the alleged proceeds of the temple donation scam or through legitimate sources. Ownership records, purchase documents and payment details are being scrutinised.In a key development, police have frozen 15 bank accounts belonging to relatives and close associates of the accused after preliminary scrutiny allegedly revealed transactions disproportionate to their known sources of income. Investigators suspect the accounts were used to route and layer funds to conceal the origin of the allegedly embezzled donations.Sources said Anukalp Mishra allegedly told investigators that he and co-accused Avinash Shukla invested part of the stolen money in the stock market, lent money on interest and routed funds through the accounts of relatives and trusted associates before transferring them back into their own accounts to mask the financial trail.Police are now verifying these claims by examining bank statements, investment portfolios, digital payment records, income tax documents and property transactions. Financial experts assisting the investigation are also checking whether the alleged proceeds were converted into movable or immovable assets or channelled through multiple accounts.So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the Ram Temple counting centre. Investigators are continuing to scrutinise financial records and have not ruled out further recoveries, attachment of assets or additional arrests as the probe progresses.
