The police got the custody of the three accused after a local court granted a 24-hour remand for further interrogation, official sources said.

Investigating Officer and Circle Officer (Ayodhya) Ashutosh Tiwari took Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra and Karunesh Pandey into custody from the district jail at around 7 am, following which they were taken for questioning, the sources said.

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The police custody remand commenced at 7 am on Wednesday in accordance with the order passed by the Special Court (Anti-Corruption) on Tuesday.

Fresh evidence

According to sources, the accused will be interrogated regarding fresh evidence that has emerged during the investigation. Police are also expected to conduct searches at locations identified by the accused in an effort to recover cash and other articles allegedly linked to the case.

The prosecution had sought the remand to confront the three accused with material and evidence gathered during the questioning of the other arrested persons in the case.

Avinash Shukla, whom the SIT has identified as the prime accused in the alleged racket, was the first accused to be taken on police remand earlier during the investigation.

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Eight persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of donations from the Ram temple in Ayodhya. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government is separately probing the case.

According to its preliminary findings, investigators have identified nearly 70 suspected instances of theft over a 40-day period and are examining the role of the accused as well as alleged procedural and security lapses in the temple's donation-counting system.

(With agency inputs)