Lucknow: Ayodhya police has seized an SUV allegedly purchased by key accused Avinash Shukla from the stolen donation money.Police said the vehicle was used to transport siphoned-off cash from Ayodhya to multiple locations, making it a critical piece of evidence in establishing the money trail.Police sources said the SUV was not merely a personal asset but formed part of the operation to move cash diverted from the temple’s donation counting centre.The vehicle has now been taken into custody for forensic examination, with police scrutinising its ownership records, purchase documents, registration details, bank transactions, GPS data, toll records, CCTV footage and mobile location evidence to determine when it was purchased, how it was financed and whether it was repeatedly used to transport cash allegedly stolen from devotees’ offerings.The seizure marks a shift in the investigation from recovering cash to tracing assets allegedly created from the proceeds of the crime. Investigators are now probing whether other movable and immovable properties acquired by the accused were financed through diverted temple donations.Sources said police suspect that, besides the ₹20.39 lakh in cash, 1,121 US dollars, gold jewellery, silver ornaments and other valuables already recovered from Shukla, a large chunk of cash and precious offerings may still be concealed at multiple locations. They believe the recoveries made so far represent only a fraction of the misappropriated donations and are continuing searches to identify additional stash points.The investigation is also focusing on reconstructing the movement of the alleged stolen money after it left the temple premises. Digital and forensic evidence generated from the seized SUV is expected to be matched with CCTV footage, mobile phone records and statements of the accused to establish the route through which the cash was allegedly transported and to identify other individuals who may have assisted in concealing or laundering the proceeds.Cops get court nod to grill more accusedPolice have secured court permission to question five jailed co-accused—Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey and Manish Yadav—inside the district jail beginning Sunday. Their statements will be recorded as investigators seek to piece together the alleged conspiracy and establish the role played by each accused in the collection, movement and concealment of the allegedly siphoned-off donations.Police sources said custodial remand of the remaining accused may be sought individually if fresh leads emerge during questioning or if investigators require them to assist in the recovery of additional cash, valuables or assets allegedly acquired from the proceeds of the crime.
