LUCKNOW: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Ram Temple donation theft are yet to find when the alleged crime took place.
Adding to the trouble, the investigation team has only been able to get its hands on the CCTV footage from 45 days.
According to sources, the theft came to light with the recovery of Rs 40,000 in currency notes, which was hidden in the washroom on the temple premises.
The money was first spotted by the temple gatekeeper who brought it to the notice of the now-resigned Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary, Champat Rai, on June 4.
Sources claimed Rai reported the matter to the Ayodhya police on the same day.
After this, there was a series of recoveries of money stolen by the suspects. Consequently, frisking of all those involved in counting process was done in front of everyone on the temple premises.
The highly-informed sources also claimed that upto Rs 81.19 lakh was recovered by the police authorities in coordination with the temple trust from the houses of the suspects not only in Ayodhya but from Nanpara in Bahraich, Kunda in Pratapgarh, and other places.
Meanwhile, the police has secured a 14-hour custody remand of two of the accused: Ramashankar Mishra and retired SBI employee Subhash Srivastava.
Ramashankar handled the transportation of the donation money received at the temple while Subhash was in charge of supervising the counting process.
Although the investigators had sought seven days' custody, the court granted only 14 hours. The duo has been taken to the Faizabad jail for interrogation.
The police is expected to question them regarding the modus operandi of the alleged theft. The investigators have so far questioned four other accused in the case.
