Quick closure of theft case at world famous Tirumala temple's Parakamani rises eyebrows

Hyderabad: Fingers are being pointed at a theft case in Tirumala temple that took place at Parakamani last year.

At Parakamani, they count the offerings of the devotees to Tirumala temple, in a Hundi, which sometimes exceed Rs one crore in a single day.

In April last year, one of Parakamani's staff, who was in charge of foreign currency, was caught stealing US dollars worth Rs 72,000 in Indian currency. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) vigilance department had filed a complaint with the local police. The TTD Board manages the world-famous Hindu temple, Tirumala.

The local police had registered an FIR on the same day and filed a charge sheet immediately the next day in court. Later, he was granted bail. However, the ruling party MLC, Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy, suspects that it has been a regular practice at Parakamani to steal foreign currency. He added subsequently, senior officials of TTD and the then-board chairman struck a deal with the accused, bailed him out through Lok Adalat proceedings after he transferred at least Rs 100 crore worth of properties into their names. The MLC now sought a thorough investigation, either by the state vigilance department or the CID.

Offerings to Lord Sri Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Tirumala, carry sentimental significance. The Parakamani of Lord Sri Venkateswara functions in the New Parakamani complex atop Tirumala hill shrine, wherein the activity of counting and segregating various Hundi items, which include gold, silver, precious stones, cash, including foreign currency, takes place.

The officers of TTD, including the superintendent, assistant executive officer (AEO), and deputy EO, supervise the staff as they count and segregate the Hundi items, a highly sensitive activity. As is customary, the representative, a clerk of Pedda Jeeyangar Swamy Mutt, Tirumala, will also supervise this activity.

TTD's assistant vigilance and security officer, Y Satish Kumar, reported to Tirupati One town police that they caught the clerk of Pedda Jeeyangar Swamy Mutt, C V Ravi Kumar, hiding a wad of currency notes bundled and kept in between two of his buttocks on the evening of April 29, 2023.

“The hurried submission of the charge sheet to the court within a day of identifying the offence, unprecedented in TTD's history, has raised doubts about the case's transparency. The accused, Ravi Kumar, has faced threats from TTD officials, police officials, and the chairman, leading to the forceful seizure of nearly all properties, assets, cash, and gold valued at nearly Rs 100 crore. Between May 1 and September 8, 2023, the accused, along with his family members and benamis, experienced a forceful seizure of almost all his assets, leaving only one house under his ownership. Following this, the police filed a case in Lok adalat. However, the accused, TTD officials, successfully lobbied with Lok adalat on September 9, leading to the case's dismissal,” MLC Bhumireddy Ramagopal Reddy told DH.

Speaking with DH, the MLC further said that the case had been suppressed without questioning whether the incident was a first-time occurrence or a long-standing occurrence based on the confessional statement of the accused. “Whether the compromise between TTD and police officials in Lok Adalat is valid or not, nobody knows. Even if it is valid, who has given permission for this compromise? The hasty closure of the case has raised numerous questions. As the scam's value exceeds Rs 100 crore, I demanded a detailed investigation into the incident as well as the assets acquired by force," said the MLC, who had approached the state endowments minister, Anam Ramanarayan Reddy.