Andhra Pradesh High Court directs CID to probe Tirumala Parakamani theft case

Hyderabad: While the controversy over alleged animal fat adulteration in Tirupati Laddu prasadam remains unresolved, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the CID to submit a report on the alleged "quick closure" of a theft case at the Tirumala temple's Parakamani, where devotee offerings are counted.

The case dates back to April 2023, when CV Ravi Kumar, a staff member representing the Pedda Jeeyangar Mutt and responsible for handling foreign currency, was caught stealing US dollars worth Rs 72,000 from devotee offerings.

New evidence, including CCTV footage, showed the Parakamani staff member concealing currency notes.

According to TTD's assistant vigilance and security officer Y Satish Kumar's report to Tirupati One Town police, Ravi Kumar was caught hiding a wad of currency notes bundled between his buttocks on the evening of April 29, 2023. The stolen currency was recovered from the culprit, and a charge sheet was filed on April 30, 2023, in the court of Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Tirupati.

However, despite the TTD Vigilance Department filing a complaint with local police, the case was quickly compromised and settled through Lok Adalat.

The vigilance report revealed intriguing details about the accused's financial dealings. Immovable properties, including lands and buildings in Tirupati and Chennai belonging to Ravi Kumar and his wife, were donated to TTD after the title deeds were deposited with the organization.

Most remarkably, the accused employee had donated 14 apartments comprising two-bedroom and three-bedroom flats in Tirupati to TTD. These properties are valued in crores of rupees on the open market.

Following a petition seeking a CID investigation into the case's quick closure, the High Court has directed the CID on Friday to collect all records from both the police station and TTD, and submit them to the court in a sealed cover. The court has also ordered that board decisions and related documents be seized.

TTD Board Member G Bhanu Prakash Reddy made sensational allegations on Saturday, claiming that over Rs 100 crore was stolen from Tirumala Swami's Parakamani during the previous YSRCP government, calling it the biggest theft in TTD's history.

"While devotees placed offerings in the Hundi with devotion, they were looted under the previous administration," Bhanu Prakash Reddy said. "The High Court has now transferred the case to the CID, ordering an investigation and a sealed cover report within a month," he said.

Bhanu Prakash Reddy alleged that despite years of theft, crores of rupees were invested in real estate using the looted money. Reddy further claimed that the case was earlier settled through Lok Adalat and alleged that several YSRCP leaders and top officials were involved.

"A key police officer worked with the intent of looting the temple's wealth, while officials and leaders shared the stolen funds," he said. Reddy also pointed out that Bhumana Karunakar Reddy was the TTD Chairman at the time and demanded his response.

Offerings to Lord Sri Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Tirumala, carry deep sentimental significance for devotees. The Parakamani of Lord Sri Venkateswara operates in the New Parakamani complex atop Tirumala hill shrine, where the critical activity of counting and segregating various Hundi items takes place.

These items include gold, silver, precious stones, cash, and foreign currency. The process is highly sensitive and supervised by TTD officers, including the superintendent, assistant executive officer (AEO), and deputy EO. As is customary, a representative clerk from Pedda Jeeyangar Swamy Mutt, Tirumala, also supervises this activity.

The issue gained political attention when TDP MLC Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy demanded a CID probe in July last year, following which TTD ordered a vigilance inquiry. The vigilance inquiry report was submitted to TTD at the end of July, setting the stage for the current High Court intervention.