Raj Thackeray Alleges ₹18 Cr Annual Theft at Mumbai Temple

Thackeray contrasted the donation collection before and after the theft was caught. Weekly earnings were less than ₹50 lakh before the arrests, he said, and later climbed to ₹1.5 crore. “Every year, ₹18 crore was being stolen,” he alleged.

The Ram Temple investigation has also intensified. A newly constituted probe team is questioning people inside the temple premises, said Mahant Dinendra Das, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The inquiry into alleged irregularities involving gold, silver and other offerings is in its final stage, he said.

Enhanced transparency measures were introduced weeks after the theft allegations triggered a Special Investigation Team probe. Since July 25, every stage of donation handling – from removing empty boxes to transporting, filling, sealing and returning them – has been under continuous videographic surveillance, Das said. An eight-member monitoring team comprising bank employees, trust representatives and private security personnel oversees the process. Around 40 donation boxes are now emptied on different days instead of all at once. Two professional videographers and 360-degree cameras record the exercise, and additional CCTV cameras have been installed in the counting room. Officials from the State Bank of India seal the boxes after they reach the counting room.

Police have arrested multiple accused in the Ram Temple case, and the investigation continues.