India, June 29 -- The alleged manipulation of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya could have been prevented had an early warning issued by the State Bank of India (SBI) been acted upon, according to people aware of the matter.

The SBI had detected suspicious activities involving staff engaged in counting donations nearly three months before the alleged fraud surfaced and had recommended their removal, a senior bank official told HT.

According to the official, bank management had observed irregularities during the counting process and flagged concerns regarding the functioning of some employees associated with the exercise.

"The bank had noticed suspicious activity and had recommended immediate action," the official said.

People awa...