Man apprehended for trying to steal gold from ‘Parakamani’ on Tirumala

During a routine check, security personnel found an outsourced employee smuggling out a 100g gold biscuit

Even before the infamous Parakamani scandal involving hundreds of crores of rupees allegedly siphoned off by a clerk belonging to TTDs Pedda Jeeyar Swamy Mutt got erased from the minds of the public, the TTD found itself rocked by yet another scandal, relating to a gold theft.  

The incident which took place on Saturday came to light only on Sunday. 

According to TTD Additional Executive Officer Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary, an outsourced employee, identified as Penchalayya was caught red-handed by TTD vigilance sleuths on Saturday while trying to smuggle out a 100 grams gold biscuit from the Parakamani hall (where the process of counting the Hundi offerings is done). The accused allegedly concealed the gold in a trolley and tried to smuggle it out of the building when the sleuths intercepted him during a routine check-up.

After preliminary inquiry, the sleuths handed him over to the Tirumala police who registered a case against him and are investigating to determine if the accused acted alone or was a part of a larger network.

The incident has nevertheless raised serious concerns about the security protocols in place at the Parakamani building complex.

Published - January 12, 2025 04:22 pm IST