Lucknow: Accused Ramshankar alias Tinnu Yadav and his nephew Manish Yadav were sent to judicial custody on Monday after the completion of their 39-hour police remand in the alleged Ram temple donation embezzlement case.During the remand, police recovered a motorcycle and a car allegedly belonging to Tinnu Yadav and subjected both accused to extensive interrogation regarding their assets, sources of income and the alleged modus operandi used to siphon off donations at the Ram temple.Sources said the two accused were questioned separately and confronted with documentary, financial and digital evidence. Investigators sought details about the acquisition of movable and immovable assets and are examining whether the alleged proceeds of crime were invested in real estate, bank deposits, jewellery or other properties.Sources said the accused were questioned about the functioning of the donation counting process, the movement of cash from the temple to the counting centre and the alleged role played by different individuals associated with the operation.The duo reportedly disclosed the names of several other persons connected with the cash-counting work, who are now likely to be summoned for questioning.The latest round of custodial interrogation forms part of a series of police remands granted in the case over the past few weeks.On July 3, investigators interrogated co-accused Avinash Shukla during a 24-hour police remand, focusing on the alleged handling of donation money and financial transactions.On July 8 and 9, co-accused Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey were questioned during a 40-hour remand, leading to the recovery of two SUVs allegedly purchased with temple donation funds, besides cash, gold ornaments and documents relating to investments.On July 15, retired bank employee Subhash Chandra Srivastava, who supervised the temple’s cash-counting process, and Ramashankar Mishra, who was responsible for transporting sealed donation boxes from the temple premises to the counting centre, were questioned for 14 hours. Investigators confronted them with statements made by other accused and examined the movement of donation boxes, the chain of custody and their respective roles in the alleged embezzlement.Police have frozen multiple bank accounts linked to the accused and their family members to trace the alleged proceeds of crime and prevent further disposal of assets.
