Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh – In a shocking breach of trust, a worker contracted by an agency at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was caught stealing gold from the revered Srivari Parakamani storage. Veerishetty Penchalayya, who had been tasked with sorting the temple’s offerings for the past two years, misused his position to pilfer a significant amount of precious metals.
Penchalayya, employed through the outsourcing agency Agrigos, was responsible for the daily sorting and counting of offerings made by devotees in the ‘Srivari Hundi,’ the donation box at the TTD’s Tirumala temple. The ‘Parakamani’ process involves meticulously accounting for all forms of donations, including coins, currency notes, and precious items like gold and silver jewelry.
On Saturday afternoon (January 11), vigilance staff at TTD caught Penchalayya in the act of stealing 100 grams of gold biscuits from the storage room. He was using a trolley to move the stolen items within the Parakamani building when he was apprehended. The vigilance team confirmed the theft by reviewing CCTV footage and immediately handed him over to the Tirumala police. However, Penchalayya managed to escape initially but was later apprehended by the police.
Upon interrogation, the police recovered an additional 555 grams of gold and 157 grams of silver from him, bringing the total theft to 655 grams of gold and 157 grams of silver, with an estimated value of around Rs 46 lakh.
This incident has raised serious concerns about the security and integrity of the donation management process at one of India’s most visited and revered temples. TTD and its security measures are now under scrutiny to prevent such breaches in the future.
Key Points:
- Penchalayya was contracted to sort donation box offerings.
- Stole 655g of gold and 157g of silver, valued at Rs 46 lakh.
- Caught with 100g gold, vigilance staff confirmed theft via CCTV.
