Claim
Accused Avinash Shukla admitted in his arrest papers that theft and embezzlement took place during the counting of offerings at the temple trust.
“आरोपी अविनाश शुक्ला ने स्वीकार किया है कि मंदिर ट्रस्ट में चढ़ावे की रकम की गिनती के दौरान चोरी और गबन किया गया था।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple mainstream Indian outlets (AajTak, Republic Bharat, Outlook) confirm the core of the claim: Avinash Shukla is an accused in the Ayodhya Ram temple donation-embezzlement case, he was involved in counting/reconciling offerings, and he confessed to theft and embezzlement occurring during the donation-counting process, with cash recovered from him. The one imprecision is procedural: reporting attributes his admission to police interrogation during remand rather than to formal 'arrest papers' as the English rendering states; the original Hindi quote only says he 'admitted' (स्वीकार किया है), which the reporting supports. The substance of the claim is confirmed, so it is rated accurate rather than fully unqualified.
Evidence
- https://www.republicbharat.com/india/ayodhya-ram-mandir-donation-theft-avinash-shukla-said-money-hide-washroom-anil-mishra-big-reveal-2026-07-01-127198 Reports that Avinash Shukla confessed ('कबूल की') to stealing crores of rupees and revealed how donation-counting weaknesses and blind spots were exploited, and that cash was hidden in temple washrooms. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.aajtak.in/uttar-pradesh/story/ayodhya-ram-temple-donation-theft-case-avinash-shukla-police-remand-ntc-rlch-rpti-2592610-2026-07-02 Confirms Avinash Shukla is an accused in the Ram temple (Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust) donation-theft case, taken on police remand around 2 July 2026, with lakhs in cash recovered from him. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.outlookindia.com/national/ram-temple-donation-case-ayodhya-police-seek-custody-of-avinash-shukla States Shukla was associated with the counting/reconciliation of temple offerings, was sent to police remand, and named trust officials; FIR filed under BNS sections for criminal breach of trust, cheating, theft, and criminal conspiracy plus Prevention of Corruption Act. ✓ reachable · archived