TTD Board Member Accuses YSRC of Spreading Misinformation on Tirumala Gold Theft

Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board member and BJP leader G. Bhanuprakash Reddy on Wednesday accused the YSR Congress (YSRC) of running a misleading campaign over the Parakamani section of the Tirumala temple by portraying an old attempted theft as a recent large-scale gold theft.

Addressing a press conference in Tirupati, Reddy said the issue being raised by YSRC leaders relates to an incident that occurred nearly 11 months ago. He alleged that the opposition was trying to create confusion among devotees by presenting the episode as a major theft of gold worth crores.

He said that in January last year, an outsourcing employee working in the Parakamani section attempted to steal a gold biscuit weighing about 100 grams. The attempt was detected by TTD vigilance and security personnel, who caught the employee red-handed.

The accused was subsequently handed over to the police and remanded to judicial custody, he said.

Bhanuprakash Reddy added that the temple administration acted immediately and placed the evidence before the court. Despite this, he alleged that the opposition was deliberately distorting facts to target the TTD and the present government.

He criticised YSRC leaders for repeatedly raising the issue and attempting to create doubts among devotees about the safety of offerings made in the Srivari hundi. He said the TTD had already clarified that reports of a large-scale gold theft in the Parakamani section were incorrect.