Lucknow: Ayodhya Police has sought assistance from the income tax department to trace the flow of the allegedly siphoned funds, identify hidden assets and uncover the role of other possible beneficiaries.Police are scrutinising nearly 50 bank accounts linked to the eight arrested accused and their family members and examining transactions dating back to 2022. They are probing whether the accused diverted the stolen money through relatives’ accounts, invested in the stock market, converted into immovable properties or parked in other financial instruments.The eight arrested accused are Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, Anukalp Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Karunesh Pandey, Manish Yadav, Lavkush Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.Sources said police have sought detailed bank statements, KYC records, nominee details and transaction histories to map the movement of funds. Investigators are analysing cash deposits, high-value withdrawals, inter-account transfers and investments made by the accused as well as their immediate family members to identify any disproportionate assets or unexplained financial transactions.The I-T department’s assistance has been sought to examine whether any of the alleged proceeds were invested in equity markets, mutual funds, fixed-income instruments or real estate, and whether the accused or their associates attempted to layer or disguise the money through multiple transactions. Officials are also looking into the acquisition of movable and immovable properties during the period under scrutiny.Investigators suspect that the alleged embezzled funds may not have remained confined to the accounts of the accused alone. They are examining whether relatives or other associates acted as conduits for routing money or holding assets on behalf of the accused. The financial investigation is also expected to identify any additional beneficiaries or individuals who may have knowingly facilitated the alleged diversion of temple donations.Sources said the financial analysis will help establish the complete money trail, quantify the alleged proceeds of crime and find whether additional offences under financial and anti-corruption laws were attracted. The findings are also likely to guide further recoveries, attachment of assets and possible arrests if evidence points to the involvement of other persons.Officials said further legal action in the case will depend on the outcome of the forensic examination of the banking records and the financial analysis currently underway.
