AHMEDABAD
Old CCTV video purportedly showing theft of cash during counting of donations at Gujarat’s Ambaji Temple has resurfaced on social media following recent allegations of donation-related irregularities at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Badrinath Dham.
Banaskantha Collector Mihir Pravinkumar Patel said the incident happened about two months ago and that prompt action was taken after the Temple Trust detected the alleged theft. According to him, the Trust filed an FIR following which the police arrested three temple employees. Their services were subsequently terminated.
“The Ambaji Temple Trust counts donations received at the temple every Tuesday. During one such exercise around two months ago, it was noticed that a temple employee had allegedly removed a bundle of cash while the counting was underway. The Trust immediately lodged an FIR, and the police arrested three employees after an investigation. All three were dismissed from service,” Mr. Patel said.
He said the Temple Trust has since revised its procedures for handling donations by introducing a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to improve security, accountability, and transparency during the counting process.
The CCTV footage has drawn attention as investigations continue into alleged misappropriation of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. An Ayodhya court is scheduled to hear the police’s remand application for Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav, and retired bank employee Subhash Srivastava, who were arrested in connection with that case.
Published - July 14, 2026 10:03 pm IST