LUCKNOW/AYODHYA, June 30 -- Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday recorded the statements of Champat Rai and Anil Mishra in connection with allegations of irregularities in the Ram Temple donation collections, days after the two men tendered their resignations from the temple trust amid a mounting row and the arrest of eight people. A senior police official said investigators recorded the statements of Rai, Mishra and temple administrator Gopal Rao as part of the ongoing investigation. He described the exercise as a routine part of the probe. Rai left for Delhi shortly after giving his statement. This is the first time that Rai and Mishra have been made a part of the probe. The investigators also intensified scrutiny of the financial transactions of the eight people arrested last week. A police team visited the State Bank of India's Naya Ghat branch in Ayodhya, where seven of the accused maintain accounts, and collected their bank statements. Investigators are analysing deposits and transactions since the accused joined duty at the Ram Temple to determine whether any of the allegedly misappropriated money was routed through their personal accounts. Police have also served notices to two State Bank of India employees as part of the investigation. The resignations of Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, and Anil Mishra, a prominent member of the trust, were confirmed on Saturday. Officials said the inquiry has now expanded to tracing the flow of funds, identifying possible beneficiaries, and examining whether others may have played a role in the alleged diversion of devotees' offerings. The developments came days after the arrest of eight men - including an aide of Rai and two relatives of Mishra - and the recovery of nearly Rs.80 lakh in cash from the homes of the accused. All eight accused were produced before special judge (anti-corruption) Rajat Verma on Monday through video conferencing from the district jail after the expiry of their earlier judicial custody. The investigating agency did not seek police custody, special prosecution officer Sanjay Dubey said. Following arguments lasting around 30 minutes, the court extended the judicial custody of all eight accused by another 14 days, Dubey added. The next hearing was fixed for July 13. Ayodhya circle officer Ashutosh Tiwari, who is leading the investigation, appeared before the court during the proceedings. A prosecution witness was also examined, although officials declined to disclose details. Filed on June 25, the FIR named Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu, a close aide of Rai, along with Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Luvkush Mishra, Subhash Srivastava, Rama Shankar Yadav, Manish Yadav and Karunesh Pandey. Anukalp Mishra and Luvkush Mishra are related to each other, and also to Anil Mishra. Ram Shankar Yadav and Manish Yadav are related. The case was registered against eight named accused and other unidentified people under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita....