Sources said a parallel probe by the Ayodhya police has only uncovered cash allegedly stolen in recent months – eight persons have been arrested and are currently in judicial custody – and an extensive investigation is required to trace movable and immovable assets acquired by the accused who were involved in the work  of counting cash and valuables.

Ever since it submitted its preliminary report to the office of the Chief Minister on June 23, the SIT has not visited Ayodhya. The local police, which registered an FIR on June 25, have conducted searches in Ayodhya and the adjoining districts of Pratapgarh, Gonda and Basti. Police have so far recovered Rs 79.80 lakh from the eight accused.

The SIT, sources said, has already questioned all trustees of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust including top office-bearers Champat Rai, Anil Mishra and Gopal Rao. Details obtained from the trustees, sources said, were related to their role and involvement in the management of the cash and valuables dropped by devotees in the temple’s donation boxes.

Sources said the trustees were the first to be questioned to understand the daily functioning. At least 20-25 staff members handled the donation boxes, carrying them from the visitor gallery to the hall where the counting work was done under the supervision of Subhash Srivastav and Ramshankar Yadav alias Tinnu while the process was executed by Lavkush Mishra, Anukalp Mishra, Ramashankar Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav and Karunesh Pandey – all were arrested after the FIR on June 25. The SIT had questioned them between June 16 and 21.

The next to be questioned will be the first-rung staff including supervisors of the Sainik Security Services, hired by the SBI for security and manpower to manage the counting of donated money and its dispatch to the bank branch.