Claim
The Ram Mandir Trust recovered the stolen donation money before the police did, yet flatly denied that any donation theft had occurred.
“पुलिस से पहले राम मंदिर ट्रस्ट ने चढ़ावा चोरी की रकम बरामद कर ली थी। लेकिन फिर भी चढ़ावा चोरी होने से साफ इंकार कर दिया था।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple mainstream reports corroborate both parts of the claim: the Trust learned of the embezzlement on June 4 and recovered roughly Rs 58 lakh from the accused starting June 5 — weeks before the FIR was filed on June 25 — with the SIT itself examining why recovery preceded formal complaint procedures. Meanwhile, when the allegations became public around June 7, Champat Rai and the Trust publicly denied any financial irregularity, saying audits had found no discrepancies, a claim the SIT's preliminary findings contradicted. The only minor imprecision is that local police informally accompanied Trust representatives during the June 5 recovery, so 'before the police' is best read as 'before formal police action/FIR', which matches the reported sequence.
Evidence
- https://www.aajtak.in/india/news/story/ram-mandir-donation-theft-investigation-fund-recovery-champat-rai-statement-ntcpvp-rpti-2589703-2026-06-29 Aaj Tak reports the Trust began recovering the embezzled money on June 5 (about Rs 58 lakh in cash, remainder via bank transfers by June 8) before any formal complaint; the FIR came only on June 25, and investigators are probing why recovery preceded formal complaint procedures. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://theprint.in/india/a-trust-divided-how-rivalries-within-management-blew-lid-off-ram-temple-donation-theft-scandal/2973280/ ThePrint reports the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust strongly denied any financial irregularity when allegations surfaced, with Champat Rai claiming regular audits showed no discrepancies — claims the SIT's preliminary findings did not support. ✓ reachable · archived
- 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 June 5 CCTV footage shows Trust representatives, acting on Champat Rai's instructions, at accused Avinash Shukla's premises where cash was recovered — 20 days before the FIR was registered, indicating the Trust knew of the theft before formal police action. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.indiatvnews.com/uttar-pradesh/champat-rai-speaks-out-here-is-what-he-told-police-in-ram-temple-donation-theft-case-2026-06-30-1046704 India TV reports the Trust recovered stolen money from those involved and that the FIR was registered only on June 25 on the Trust's complaint; Champat Rai admitted delaying the police complaint while conducting an internal probe. ✓ reachable · archived