Claim
The thieves were tipped off about a planned surprise frisking, hid the stolen money in bags in the bathroom before leaving, and the frisking found nothing on anyone.
“उन तक यह खबर पहुंच गई थी कि आज फ्रिस्किंग होने वाली है। बाहर जाने से पहले सब एक-एक करके बाथरूम में गए और चुराए गए पैसे वहां थैलों में छुपा दिए। फ्रिस्किंग हुई। किसी के पास से कुछ नहीं निकला।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple independent outlets (The Quint, Republic Bharat, Patrika, Punjab Kesari) and India TV's own reporting corroborate each element of the claim: the accused counting staff were tipped off about a planned random frisking, hid the stolen currency in a bag in the bathroom beforehand, and the frisking turned up nothing on anyone — until a sanitation worker later found the hidden bag. This narrative reflects the SIT probe and accounts of the accused rather than a court-proven finding, so confidence is high but not absolute.
Evidence
- https://www.thequint.com/news/breaking-news/ayodhya-ram-temple-donation-theft-bathroom-cash-smuggling The Quint reports counting staff got advance word of a random frisking, went to the bathroom one by one to hide currency bundles in a bag, and the frisking found nothing — a safai karmachari later stumbled on the hidden bag, exposing the scheme. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/opinion-the-full-story-of-loot-in-ram-mandir-who-did-it-how-much-was-looted-where-has-the-jewellery-gone-2026-07-01-1046791 India TV's own account states the thieves 'got a whiff of the random frisking in advance,' hid bundles in a bag in the bathroom, and 'nothing was found when the random frisking was done.' ✓ 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 Republic Bharat (Hindi) corroborates that accused hid donation cash in the temple washroom/bathroom and dodged CCTV blind spots. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya-ram-mandir-fund-theft-tinnu-yadav-and-anukalp-mishra-the-lesser-known-faces-amid-donation-row-4061170 Deccan Herald confirms the underlying case — SIT probe, FIR on June 25, eight arrests, ~Rs 79.85 lakh recovered in the Ram Mandir donation theft. ✓ reachable · archived