Ram temple fraud: Wife of accused Tinnu Yadav alleges husband framed to protect 'prominent people'

The wife of one of the eight people arrested in the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has claimed that her husband is innocent and has been falsely implicated to protect "prominent people".

Poonam Yadav, wife of Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu Yadav, told reporters on Saturday that the allegations against her family were "baseless and misleading".

"To save the prominent people, smaller people are being implicated. My husband has carried the saffron flag since 1992. He has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) since then," she said.

Responding to allegations that her husband had amassed property and luxury vehicles worth around Rs 50 crore, Poonam Yadav denied the claims.

"If property worth Rs 50 crore is recovered from our possession, I will immediately donate Rs 45 crore to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and keep Rs 5 crore with myself," she said.

According to police sources, Ramshankar Yadav is one of the principal accused in the alleged conspiracy.

Investigators said he was initially appointed as the personal driver of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai before becoming a trusted aide involved in temple administration and VIP management.

Police have alleged that he had unauthorised access to the keys of the donation-counting room and donation boxes, enabling manipulation of the counting process.

The case relates to the alleged embezzlement of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The investigation is ongoing.