Claim
The Ram Mandir Trust caught the donation thieves before the police did, but then got the thieves released from police custody.
“पुलिस से पहले राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट ने चढ़ावा चोरों को पकड़ लिया था। लेकिन फिर भी चढ़ावा चोरों को पुलिस हिरासत से छुड़वाया।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Contemporaneous reporting (June 30–July 2, 2026) confirms the claim's substance: on June 5, 2026 — weeks before the June 25 FIR — Ram Mandir Trust representatives, acting on Champat Rai's instructions, caught accused Avinash Shukla and recovered lakhs in cash; he was taken into custody that evening but, because the trust filed no complaint and kept the matter informal, he was released and remained free until the FIR. The anchor's framing that the trust 'got the thieves released' (छुड़वाया) is a slightly active characterization — sources establish the release resulted from the trust declining to file an FIR rather than a documented demand for release — and police did accompany trust representatives on June 5. These nuances, plus the absence of dedicated fact-checker coverage as of the broadcast date, cap confidence at moderate.
Evidence
- https://www.thejbt.com/india/uttar-pradesh/champat-rai-ram-mandir-trust-knew-about-theft-before-fir-5th-june-cctv-footage-reveals-another-big-twist-news-313612 CCTV footage from June 5, 2026 (8:13 PM) shows accused Avinash Shukla being taken into custody with a bag of cash after trust representatives, on Champat Rai's instructions, reached his location with police; the trust filed no FIR at that time and the action remained informal. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://navbharatlive.com/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-theft-new-video-raises-questions-on-trust-avinash-shukla-1827928.html Reports the viral June 5 video raised questions over why the trust did not register an FIR despite catching the accused and recovering cash, leaving him free until the formal case weeks later. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya-ram-mandir-fund-theft-row-social-media-allegations-to-8-arrested-a-timeline-of-key-events-4053275 Timeline confirms the FIR was lodged only on June 25 and eight accused arrested then — twenty days after the June 5 trust-initiated recovery — meaning the accused detained on June 5 had been let go in the interim. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/ayodhya/ram-mandir-offering-theft-ramrajya-kosh-chest-found-in-accused-avinash-shukla-s-room-qr-code-also-affixed-2026-07-01 Amar Ujala coverage corroborates that the trust recovered lakhs in cash from Avinash Shukla on June 5, before any FIR existed. ✓ reachable · archived