Six, including 2 women and TTD staff, held for selling Seva tickets in black market

Nellore: Tirumala II Town police arrested six persons, including two women and a TTD employee, for black marketing Seva tickets and break darshan tickets on Saturday.

According to the police, the kingpin of the gang Mallela Mallikarjuna is a superintendent rank official in the TTD and he is at present working at Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad Project in Visakhapatnam.

The modus operandi of Mallikarjuna is to collect VIP recommendation letters through his acquaintances Nomula Venkata Murali Krishna, Tadikamala Ganesh Venkata Subba Rao and Uppala Vamsi Krishna of Vijayawada.

Two more friends of Mallikarjun, Kantasani Vijayakumari and her daughter Navyasri of Hyderabad identify pilgrims in need of tickets for Darshan and Sevas.

They help Mallikarjun to sell the recommendation letters. For instance, they collect Rs 3,000 for each VIP break darshan ticket worth Rs 500 and Rs 300 special darshan ticket for Rs 2,000 per head and so on.

Police found that they have sold 721 tickets pertaining to darshan and sevas apart from allotting 25 rooms for exorbitant rates so far. Based on a complaint lodged by the TTD Vigilance wing, Tirumala II Town police investigated the case and apprehended the accused. They have been sent to remand on Saturday. Police urged the devotees not to fall prey to the middlemen.