New Delhi: Ayodhya’s dazzling new international airport and redeveloped railway station were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The mood is upbeat in the temple town as the countdown has begun for consecration ceremony of the grand Ram Temple.
However, three weeks before the big day at Ayodhya, a racket involved in deception and fraud in the guise of collecting donations from devotees for temple construction has been unearthed.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for action to tackle te menace. The right-wing body has also issued a warning on social media alerting people not to fall prey to the scam.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal revealed on X that a fake social media page titled ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Chhetra Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh’ has been created. The page, equipped with a QR code, asks users to contribute funds in the name of Ram Temple construction.
The matter has been taken up with Union Home ministry and police chiefs in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
To check the modus operandi, a VHP member engaged in a conversation with the alleged fraudster over phone.
“Contribute as much as you can. Your name and number will be noted in the diary. When the temple is completed, all of you will be invited to Ayodhya. I am speaking from Ayodhya,” said the person seeking donations.
“You know there is a struggle going on between the Muslim community and the Hindu community. The Muslim community is not allowing their temple to be built, so they are raising funds for their temple,” the fraudster added.
The VHP has issued a video message stating that it has recently been informed about attempts to dupe people in the name of Ram Mandir.
“Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Nyas has not authorised anyone to collect funds. I have written to the Home Ministry, Uttar Pradesh DGP and Delhi’s Commissioner of Police, seeking strict action so that people do not fall prey to such frauds. People need to be careful too. This is an occasion for joy, we are sending out invitations. We will not accept any donation,” Bansal said in the video message.
