Claim
Neither the SIT nor the police have been able to determine the total amount stolen, because anonymous donations (gupt daan) leave no written record and CCTV cannot establish how much each devotee deposited.
“देखिए एसआईटी की तरफ से ये पता नहीं लगा। ना पुलिस की तरफ से ये पता लग पा रहा है... गुप्त दान का कोई रिकॉर्ड है नहीं।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
As of the July 2, 2026 broadcast, neither the UP-constituted SIT (preliminary report June 23, deadline extended to July 15) nor Ayodhya police had determined the total amount stolen from the Ram Mandir donation boxes; only recoveries (~Rs 79.85 lakh cash, ~Rs 1.4 crore including assets) and a politician's unverified Rs 7–7.5 crore allegation existed. Donation-box offerings (gupt daan) are anonymous cash with no per-devotee written record, and reports confirm accused used CCTV blind spots, making the anchor's stated reasons consistent with the investigative record. No Indian fact-checker had contradicted this specific claim.
Evidence
- https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2026/07/02/ram-temple-donation-scam-cbi-probe.html As of July 2, 2026, reporting on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation theft gives no determined total — only ~Rs 79.80 lakh recovered from eight accused, with the SIT deadline extended to July 15 because the probe was incomplete. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/uttar-pradesh/ram-mandir-donation-theft-cash-hidden-under-cow-dung-key-findings-of-sit-probe/ SIT key findings describe recoveries (over Rs 1.4 crore in cash and disproportionate assets) and an ongoing effort to trace the money trail, not a settled total stolen figure. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.republicworld.com/india/over-20-lakh-cash-1121-usd-gold-seized-from-ram-mandir-donation-theft-scam-accused-avinash-shukla-2026-07-02-130932 The Rs 7–7.5 crore figure circulating is an allegation by former SP MLA Pawan Pandey, not an SIT/police determination; police were still tracing whether recovered cash accounted for the full embezzled amount. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.republicbharat.com/india/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-theft-avinash-shukla-said-money-hide-washroom-anil-mishra-big-reveal-2026-07-01-127198 Accused reportedly exploited CCTV blind spots and hid donation-box cash before removing it, supporting the point that CCTV footage cannot establish how much was taken. ✓ reachable · archived