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Below is a copy, translated from Hindi, of the “top secret” Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted in Uttar Pradesh to assess the scale of theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as well as to identify the culprits. This report was submitted on June 23, 2026, to the state government (Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Home) and it was also discussed at the recent meeting of the trustees of the board overseeing the temple.

The report holds counting staff and supervisors responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the fraud. It says precious items donated to the temple were not kept safe and secure – apart from a few that were reported in the media, which could all be identified or traced. It said the temple trustees did not properly supervise counting or security of the counting premises itself.

In fact, at one point, the temple stepped up security measures in sync with a bank – but did not implement those measures, and even watered them down. The thefts were possible because of this laxity, it finds. “This was not merely a technical or procedural error, but rather deliberate negligence, which led to the theft/embezzlement,” is one of the SIT’s preliminary report’s observations. 

Another observation in the report is about the counting staff’s salaries of roughly Rs 20,000 per month and the recoveries made of Rs 78 lakh by the trust itself, before the current controversy exploded. It also says at one point that “All Trust personnel/officials accountable for implementing, supervising and monitoring the counting management process are responsible for this serious lapse.”

It has been presented as a “preliminary” report on the “theft/embezzlement of gift/offering money during the counting process at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Ayodhya”. It says the final report will be based on the SIT examining a different set of issues and persons than the preliminary one did.

The full report, translated by Naushin Rehman, is below. Some parts have been highlighted but no other changes have been made. 

The preliminary investigation report in the above case is as follows:

Context, introduction and scope of investigation

This report is being submitted on the basis of the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Home Department, through Order No. 1387 ख/छ: – पु – 4 – 2026. The above investigation was conducted in response to a letter sent by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on 12.06.2026, in which a request was made to conduct an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to address public concerns arising from reports in various media regarding the receipt and counting process of the offerings/donations received by the Trust at the temple, and in light of the concerns raised by the matter being related to public sentiment, faith and belief.

The present report relates to the theft/pilferage of funds during the counting process of the offerings/donations. The investigation is ongoing regarding the management of the offerings/donations, gold, silver, jewellery and other valuables, supervisory failures, administrative accountability, institutional deficiencies and corrective suggestions.

For this report, the Special Investigation Team examined CCTV footage of the counting room and strong room area, statements/explanations obtained from Trust officials, bank officials, security personnel and counting personnel, seizure records, bank account details, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), minutes of meeting and other relevant documents. The investigation revealed, prima facie, that some personnel engaged in the counting process had committed theft/embezzlement of offering funds. Serious supervisory lapses were committed by those responsible for maintaining prescribed security measures, which enabled these personnel to commit criminal acts.

Management of offering funds and cash movement to the counting room

Devotees present offerings to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple through three primary channels. First major method is the submission of cash, coins and other valuables in offering pots/hundis installed within the temple premises. Additionally, offering funds are also received through designated counters and the Trust office.

Cash received from hundis was required to be handled under a clear chain of custody. According to information provided to the Special Investigation Team, the hundis were opened in the joint presence of Trust and bank representatives. The cash and other items received were placed in boxes, sealed and locked and then brought to the counting room located in the PFC building.

In the counting room, the cash was sorted, bundled and counted. After counting, the funds were deposited into the Trust’s bank account. If any valuables were found in the boxes during this process, they were deposited in hundi No. 12, located in the counting room. Hundi No. 12 was opened jointly at regular intervals and the collected valuables were weighed and recorded, including the type and weight of the item.

The investigation revealed serious deficiencies in this process even at the initial stages. Although there was a system of hundi-wise recording and hundi-wise counting, in practice, the contents of different hundis were often mixed before counting. There was no system for numbering and tracking the boxes used for cash transportation to ascertain how many boxes came from which hundi on any given day, how many were counted and how many remained. Given the increasingly large public offerings, this proved to be a serious flaw in auditing and accountability.

The investigation revealed significant systemic deficiencies not only in the cash counting process but also in the management of valuables. Devotees generally offer valuables through three primary channels: (i) by placing them in hundis (hundis), (ii) by depositing them at designated counters and (iii) by offering them near the sanctum sanctorum. Each channel required clear receipts, documentation, weighing, photography, custody and transfer procedures.

Regarding valuables received from hundis, it was reported that a register was maintained. However, at the time of the first segregation, there was no uniform compliance with the system of immediate weighing, photography and sealing.

A receipt system was available for valuables received at the counters, but discrepancies were observed in cases where devotees were brought in through informal channels or items were received outside the formal process. Records were also available regarding offerings received near the sanctum sanctorum, but some of them were informal in nature and more robust documentation of the custody and transfer process after receipt was required.

The investigation team was informed that gold, silver and other valuables are kept in a locker located in front of the sanctum sanctorum, for which a register is maintained. Random physical verification of eleven valuables recorded in the records was conducted and their entries in the locker register were found to be in accordance with the receipts generated by the TCS computer system. An investigation is underway in this regard.

Reports regarding valuables offered by devotees are circulating on social media and other platforms. To address these concerns, three major news reports were taken into account.

Anurag Rastogi, North India Head of the Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association, has made statements in the media regarding the offering of silver bricks. The Trust records document the offerings made by him. These contributions were made on two dates: 21.07.2020 and 28.07.2020, and the receipts issued on both days confirm the receipt of approximately 38 kg of silver. Additionally, the Sarafa Association also donated a silver brick weighing 22.576 kg on 29.07.2020. They have informed that this silver brick and the two other valuable items mentioned above will be melted and preserved in a bank locker. All of these items are included in the Trust’s list of items designated for melting by the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India, as noted at point number 64 on page 4, as two entries at point number 92 on page 5, and at point number 81 on page 4 respectively. This clearly indicates that the items were in the Trust’s custody and were subsequently melted. Raju Mandwani, President........

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