Ram Mandir Donation Theft: Dhirendra Shastri Slams Thieves as 'Worse than Ravana' as Top Trust Officials Resign

Ayodhya: A spiritual leader has spoken out about the Ram Mandir theft. Dhirendra Krishna Shastri runs Bageshwar Dham. He said the thieves are like Ravana and God will punish them. Shastri was addressing thousands of people when he made the comments. He got emotional and said Ravana at least stole one person. These thieves stole the faith of millions.

What Shastri had said?

He said, "Ravana came in disguise. He stole Sita. His entire family was destroyed. These people stole from Ram Mandir. They stole the donations of crores of people. Their faith was stolen." He continued, "I am telling the truth. If someone does not like it, that is their problem. My job is to tell the truth. Ravana faced punishment from God's hands. These thieves will face government punishment. But they will also face God's punishment. No one can save them." An FIR also had been filed. The case is moving forward. More people will be caught, Shastri said.

Who quits?

Two top officials of the Ram Mandir Trust have resigned. Champat Ray is the General Secretary. Anil Mishra is a member. Both have quit following the theft scandal.

How many arrested?

The SIT report led to an FIR. Eight people were named as accused. All have been arrested. The accused are Subhash Chandra Srivastava, a retired banker and counting officer; Avinash Shukla; Karunesh Pandey; Anukalp Mishra; Ramashankar Mishra; Lavkush Mishra; Manish Kumar Yadav; and Ram Shankar Yadav, known as Tinnu. Temple member Krishna Mohan filed a complaint that led to the arrests. All eight are now in custody.