Claim
Of the roughly ₹79 lakh of stolen offerings recovered, ₹20 lakh came from Avinash Shukla alone, and on 5 June police detained him first in the theft case.
“करीब ₹79 लाख का जो चढ़ावा बरामद हुआ उसमें से ₹20 लाख अकेले अविनाश शुक्ला के पास से ही बरामद किया गया और 5 जून को सबसे पहले पुलिस ने अविनाश को ही चढ़ावा चोरी के केस में हिरासत में लिया था।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The financial portion is accurate: police recovered about ₹79.85 lakh in total and the single largest sum, ₹20.39–20.40 lakh, was seized from Avinash Shukla, the prime accused. However, the arrest-timeline detail is false. The SIT-based FIR naming Avinash Shukla and seven others was registered on 25 June 2026 and the accused were arrested on/around 26 June 2026; no source supports police detaining Avinash 'first' on 5 June. The specific date of 5 June is wrong by roughly three weeks, making the overall claim inaccurate.
Evidence
- https://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a1782540.html IANS/wire report: police recovered ₹79.85 lakh (₹79,85,493) in total from seven of the eight accused in the Ram Mandir donation theft case, with the largest single amount — ₹20.39 lakh — seized from Avinash Shukla. Confirms the two monetary figures in the claim. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.republicbharat.com/india/uttar-pradesh/ram-mandir-donation-theft-first-fir-after-sit-primary-report-cm-yogi-adityanath-2026-06-25-126779 The FIR against 8 accused (including Avinash Shukla) was registered on 25 June 2026 on the SIT's recommendation — contradicting any '5 June' detention date. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.etvbharat.com/hi/bharat/ayodhya-ram-temple-embezzlement-case-fir-registered-investigation-report-of-sit-shri-ram-janmabhoomi-trust-upn26062506962 Reports the FIR against 8 people and the first arrests of accused around 25–26 June 2026, not early June. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.republicworld.com/india/over-20-lakh-cash-1121-usd-gold-seized-from-ram-mandir-donation-theft-scam-accused-avinash-shukla-2026-07-02-130932 Confirms ₹20.39 lakh cash plus USD and gold/silver recovered from Avinash Shukla and that the eight employees were arrested on 26 June 2026. ✓ reachable · archived