Ayodhya: In a shocking case of faith exploited for fraud, Ayodhya Police has cracked one of the largest cyber scams in the temple town’s history. A fraudster posing as a professor from the U.S. duped lakhs of devotees through a fake website promising home delivery of Ram Lalla’s prasad, pocketing a whopping Rs 3.85 crore in the process.
The mastermind, Ashish Singh, hailing from Ghaziabad and currently residing in the United States, launched a fraudulent portal — khadiorganic.com — just before the Ram Mandir consecration on January 22, 2024. Exploiting the spiritual wave sweeping the nation, Singh lured over 6.3 lakh devotees, both domestic and international, between December 19 and January 12, by offering “free prasad delivery”, temple replicas, and Ram Mandir commemorative coins.
But the “free” tag came at a cost — a Rs 51 facilitation fee for Indians and $11 for overseas devotees, collected through digital gateways like Paytm, PhonePe, MobiKwik, Yes Bank, and IDFC. In total, Rs 10.49 crore was amassed — Rs 3.85 crore solely from prasad-related transactions.
The scam was exposed after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust flagged suspicious online activity, prompting a probe by Ayodhya’s Cyber Crime Cell. Singh, perhaps overconfident, returned to India on January 13, even visiting Ayodhya — a decision that led to his swift arrest.
Singh was nabbed with a laptop, two iPhones, Rs 13,970 in cash, USD 16, and a stash of forged IDs, debit cards, and documents from both India and the U.S., including a Washington State driving licence and a health card.
Police slapped charges under IPC 420, IT Act Section 66D, and Passport Act 12(3).
So far, the cyber cell has refunded Rs 2.15 crore to over 3.72 lakh victims, with recovery efforts underway for the remaining Rs 1.70 crore.
Calling the scam “a betrayal of faith,” Ayodhya SSP Gaurav Grover praised the cyber cell’s timely action, ensuring public trust wasn’t fully shattered. “It was a scam built on devotion, but we ensured justice wasn’t delayed,” he said. The cyber team has been awarded Rs 15,000 for their exceptional work.
Authorities now urge citizens to remain cautious when making religious donations or online purchases tied to spiritual services. “Faith must never come at the cost of digital vigilance,” SSP Grover warned.
