Ram Mandir ‘prasaad scam’ busted: ₹3.85 crore dupe exposed

Ayodhya Police uncovered a scam worth Rs 3.85 crore involving fake online orders for Ram temple prasaad. Capitalising on the religious sentiments following Ram Lalla’s consecration in January 2024, Ashish Singh—posing as a Seattle-based professor—created a fake website, khadiorganic.com, offering free doorstep delivery of prasaad and other temple-related memorabilia.

Singh, originally from Ghaziabad and currently based in the US, launched the portal weeks before the ceremony.

Between December 19, 2023, and January 12, 2024, over 6.3 lakh devotees—both from India and abroad—fell prey to the scheme.

He collected Rs 51 from Indian users and USD 11 from international users as a “facilitation fee,” raking in Rs 10.49 crore in total, including Rs 3.85 crore solely from prasaad-related orders.

The scam came to light when the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust reported suspicious activity to cyber authorities.

Singh was arrested upon his arrival in Ayodhya on January 13. Police recovered electronic devices, cash, IDs, and bank documents.

So far, Rs 2.15 crore has been refunded to over 3.7 lakh victims, with efforts ongoing to recover the remaining amount.

Ayodhya SSP Gaurav Grover commended the cyber team’s swift action, highlighting the need for public caution while making religious donations online.