How the Parakamani scam in Tirumala unfolded

The pursuing nonfiction has references to suicide. Please debar speechmaking if you consciousness distressed by the subject.

On April 29, 2023, the ‘Parakamani Hall’ astatine Tirumala was abuzz with enactment arsenic employees of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the world’s richest temple of Lord Venkateswara, were engaged counting the currency notes dropped into the ‘Srivari Hundi’, a immense instrumentality wherever invaluable offerings are made by the devout successful fulfilment of a vow.

Parakamani is the process of segregating coins, currency notes (both Indian and foreign), and different forms of offerings specified arsenic golden ornaments, wristwatches and spot documents, from the hundi, counting them and noting down the day’s postulation into the TTD’s exchequer. The process is intimately monitored by the TTD’s vigilance and information staff, supported by an extended CCTV web of 108 cameras, covering each nook and cranny of the hall.

Since Pedda Jeeyangar is regarded arsenic the temple’s ‘Dharmakartha’, helium deputes a typical to oversee the proceedings. Similarly, 1 oregon 2 communal devotees are invited to show the counting to guarantee transparency and accountability.

Even arsenic the employees stayed engrossed successful the counting, a information defender monitoring the CCTV provender noticed an antithetic behaviour successful Coimbatore Venkata Ravi Kumar, a.k.a. C.V. Ravi Kumar, a clerk representing the Pedda Jeeyangar Mutt. He was seated cross-legged connected the floor, with a ample penning pad connected his lap, seemingly jotting down figures. However, Ravi Kumar appeared nervous, fidgeting with his legs and often sliding his manus betwixt his thighs. This raised suspicions that helium mightiness beryllium hiding thing successful his dhoti.

Following TTD’s stringent modular operating procedures, Ravi Kumar was strip-searched successful private, and 9 $100 bills were recovered tucked betwixt his buttocks. The recovered notes were valued astatine ₹72,000 (at the speech complaint of ₹80 a dollar that day).

On being alerted, the past Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer (AV&SO) of the TTD Y. Satish Kumar lodged a ailment with the Tirumala I Town constabulary presumption the aforesaid day, and a lawsuit was registered (FIR No. 24/2023) nether IPC sections 379 and 381. While determination had been instances of employees attempting to bargain offerings, this was the archetypal clip a typical monitoring the process had been progressive successful specified a crime.

Death and find

Around two-and-a-half years later, connected November 14, 2025, Satish was recovered dormant connected the railway tracks adjacent Komali colony adjacent Tadipatri municipality successful Anantapur district. A autochthonal of Pathikonda municipality successful Kurnool district, helium was serving arsenic an Inspector with the Government Railway Police successful Guntakal aft having been transferred retired of TTD pursuing the Parakamani case.

Y. Srihari, his younger brother, alleges that Satish was killed by his opponents progressive successful the Parakamani lawsuit to soundlessness him. “While Satish Kumar was traveling from Guntakal to Tirupati connected bid no. 12794 Rayalaseema Express (A-1 coach, berth no. 29) to be an enquiry related Parakamani case, helium was murdered,” Srihari states successful his ailment to the Gooty Railway Police.

Following the complaint, the railway constabulary registered a lawsuit nether BNS Section 103(1). According to the FIR, the assemblage was discovered by a cardinal antheral betwixt Komali and Juturu railway stations, and it bore aggregate injuries. The lawsuit was aboriginal transferred to the Tadipatri agrarian constabulary for further investigation.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP-Tadipatri) Rohit Kumar Choudhary says the country was reconstructed utilizing assemblage dummies having Satish’s tallness and weight and recorded utilizing drones.

One dummy was dropped from the bid successful a sitting position, different successful a lasting presumption and 2 others were pushed retired to find if Satish had fallen accidentally oregon had been pushed. The constabulary besides questioned passengers who had travelled connected the A-1 manager of the Rayalaseema Express and railway unit who had supplied bedrolls and linens connected the coach. Sources said Satish’s belongings were recovered astatine different location, berth no. 11.

A tightening knot

The incidents that occurred during the intervening play betwixt the theft and the decease are profoundly intriguing. After the lawsuit was registered, the accused, Ravi Kumar, donated 7 immovable properties to the TTD—five successful Tirupati and 2 successful Chennai—and the TTD spot board, astatine its gathering connected June 19, 2023, resolved to judge them. The properties were collectively valued astatine ₹14 crore.

On September 9, 2023, the lawsuit filed astatine Tirumala I Town constabulary presumption was disposed of astatine the Lok Adalat. A compromise was reached betwixt the TTD’s AV&SO (Sathish) and the accused (Ravi Kumar),citing spiritual sensitivity. The lawsuit was settled without immoderate conviction. 

The alteration of authorities successful the State led to a caller interior probe by TTD’s vigilance successful July 2024. This probe recovered that Satish, whom the past Vigilance and Security Officer M. Giridhar Rao had praised arsenic a “good serviceman with dependable integrity, a hard-working quality and devotion to his work”, was nether utmost unit from the constabulary to settee the case.

After a section writer filed a petition challenging the ‘compromise settlement’, the Andhra Pradesh High Court, connected September 19, 2025, acceptable speech the Lok Adalat bid and ordered a caller probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

Political Slugfest

The decease of Satish, who had been some a complainant and a cardinal witnesser successful the case, led to a governmental slugfest successful Andhra Pradesh. While the constabulary registered a execution case, the Opposition enactment blamed the authorities for “driving him to suicide.” The NDA government, connected the different hand, seized the accidental to constituent fingers astatine the erstwhile YSRCP authorities for tarnishing the representation of the world-famous temple.

TTD spot committee subordinate and BJP State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, who has launched ineligible proceedings against the erstwhile board, accused officials of deliberately deleting CCTV camera footage during the erstwhile medication successful a bid to erase grounds of the crime.

Registration of a transgression lawsuit is usually followed by a ‘Panchanama’ (recording of statements and mentioning of seized properties), and a record is sent to higher-ups for indispensable action, helium says. “In this theft case, however, I wonderment whether the erstwhile officers had filed thing astatine all. Dishonesty astatine specified a ineffable spot of worship cannot beryllium tolerated, and whoever is progressive should beryllium brought to justice. This is wherefore I person moved the court.”

The CID has questioned TTD erstwhile Chairperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, erstwhile Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy and different cardinal officials successful transportation with the case.

Is the compromise legal?

As the probe progresses, 1 question begs answer: Is the TTD spot committee authorised to effect a compromise settlement? Former Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam, who had antecedently served arsenic TTD’s Executive Officer, says that determination is nary proviso successful the TTD Act to onslaught a compromise woody with an accused.

Temple Protection Movement convener and Chilkur Balaji temple’s main clergyman C.S. Rangarajan called abetting transgression by a temple absorption ‘a sin,’ adding that the determination to punish oregon forgive should beryllium near to the God. “The spot committee should person followed the people of instrumentality instead,” helium said.

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