Claim
The Trust had recovered the stolen donation money before the police, yet flatly denied that any 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
Contemporaneous reporting as of the 2026-07-02 broadcast supports both parts of the anchor's claim. The Trust recovered stolen donation money internally — Champat Rai himself acknowledged to police that the Trust recovered funds from those involved during its internal inquiry, and a Faizabad Bar Association complaint details recoveries of roughly ₹68 lakh by Rai and trustees around June 5, before the June 25 FIR. Simultaneously, Rai publicly denied theft, telling media that no theft or irregularities were found in the donation-box audit and that 'nothing noteworthy' had emerged. Confidence is slightly below certainty because the specific pre-police recovery amounts rest partly on a bar association complaint rather than adjudicated findings, but Rai's own admission of internal recovery and delayed complaint corroborates the core assertion.
Evidence
- https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/ram-mandir-donation-theft-faizabad-bar-complaint-champat-rai-fir-539794 Faizabad Bar Association complaint states Trust general secretary Champat Rai personally recovered ₹10 lakh (hidden in cow dung) and trustees Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao recovered ₹58 lakh from an accused on June 5, 2026 — weeks before the police FIR of June 25 — and that these recoveries were not publicly disclosed. ✓ 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 Champat Rai told police the Trust ran an internal inquiry, recovered the stolen money from those involved, and admitted his only lapse was the delay in filing a police complaint — confirming the Trust recovered funds before police involvement. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://theprint.in/politics/formed-gang-to-steal-donations-ayodhya-bar-files-complaint-against-champat-rai-ram-temple-trustees/2975914/ Reports Rai's public statements to media that no theft or irregularities were found in the Trust's donation box during the audit — the denial referenced in the claim. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403
- https://thefederal.com/category/states/north/uttar-pradesh/ram-temple-donation-scam-sit-to-re-audit-ayodhya-trust-accounts-for-five-years-248902 Timeline: embezzlement surfaced June 7, UP government SIT formed June 13, FIR registered June 25; Rai had said 'nothing noteworthy' emerged in the internal audit; SIT ordered a five-year re-audit after finding large-scale irregularities. ✓ reachable · archived