Claim
Avinash Shukla is from Nariyawa Babupur village in Pratapgarh district; after he began counting donations at the Ram Mandir his lifestyle changed — his family, who earlier lived in an old mud house, recently built a new house in the village.
“अविनाश शुक्ला प्रतापगढ़ जिले के नरियावा बाबूपुर गांव का रहने वाला है... राम मंदिर में चढ़ावा गिनने का काम शुरू करने के बाद अविनाश शुक्ला का रहन-सहन ही बदल गया। पहले गांव में उसका परिवार एक पुराने कच्चे घर में रहता था। लेकिन हाल ही में उसके परिवार का गांव में एक नया घर बना है।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple independent news reports around the 2026-07-02 broadcast confirm each element: Avinash Shukla hails from Nariyawa/Babupur Nariyawan village in Pratapgarh district, worked in the Ram Mandir donation counting/reconciliation process, his family earlier lived in an old kachcha (mud) house, and a new pucca house was recently built beside it; raids also recovered over Rs 20 lakh in cash and valuables. No dedicated fact-checker (AltNews, BOOM, Factly, Newschecker, PIB) piece was found, but mainstream reporting consistently corroborates the claim. Minor nuance: reports say the parents still live in the old mud house with the new house built adjacent, which is consistent with the anchor's statement that the family recently built a new house in the village.
Evidence
- https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/family-of-ram-temple-donation-embezzlement-accused-seeks-fair-probe Confirms Avinash Shukla is a resident of Babupur Nariyawan village, Maheshganj police station, Pratapgarh district, arrested in the Ram temple donation misappropriation case; he handled cash reconciliation during donation counting. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://hindi.pardaphash.com/did-avinash-shukla-turn-into-a-thief-who-stole-from-ram-lallas-treasury-even-his-parents-turned-their-backs-on-him-saying-god-will-make-him-reap-the-consequences-of-his-actions/ Reports the family's ancestral house is an old kachcha (mud) structure where the parents still live, with a new pucca (brick) house recently built next to it — matching the anchor's old-mud-house vs new-house contrast. ✓ 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 Reports raid at Shukla's Pratapgarh residence recovering over Rs 20 lakh cash, US dollars and gold/silver, consistent with reporting that his lifestyle/assets changed after he began working in the donation-counting process. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.tv9up.com/cities/ram-mandir-donation-case-avinash-shukla-pratapgarh-accused-family-investigation-theft-case-article-32672.html Coverage of the accused's family in the Pratapgarh village corroborating his origin and the family's circumstances. ✓ reachable · archived