India, June 26 -- Ram Shankar Yadav alias 'Tinnu', a close aide and chauffeur of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, is among eight people arrested by Ayodhya Police in connection with the alleged embezzlement and theft of cash and gold offerings from the Ram Mandir.

Police arrested the eight accused on Friday morning as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the handling and counting of donations received at the temple.

Yadav, one of the most prominent figures among those arrested, hails from Ayodhya and rose from modest beginnings. His father ran a small tea shop near Naya Ghat, and Yadav worked as an auto and tempo driver in the town during the mid-1990s. Over the years, he became ...