TTD Parakamani Theft Case: Ex-TTD Security Officer Found Dead

Anantapur/Tirupati: Former TTD assistant vigilance and security officer Y. Sathish Kumar, who reported the sensational foreign currency theft from Parakamani, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the Tadipatri–Gooty main railway line in this district on Friday.

Satish Kumar was a native of Pathikonda in Kurnool district. He worked as sub inspector with the Gooty government railway police. The body was found lying in between two tracks, between Komali and Juturu stations.

Sathish Kumar had boarded the Rayalaseema Express at Guntakal on Thursday night, with a reserved seat in the A1 coach on berth number 29. He reportedly either fell from, was pushed out of, or committed suicide from the air-conditioned coach at around 2 a.m. on Friday. His body has been kept in the mortuary, and the post-mortem will be conducted on Saturday at Anantapur Government General Hospital.

Police said the SI was travelling to Tirupati and the body was identified with an ID card. The body bore deep injury marks.

The deceased’s family members and friends suspected foul play and claimed it was not a suicide but murder. They accused the role of higher officials and the TTD board in Kumar’s elimination so as to enable them escape from the ongoing theft case probe.

The family staged a protest at Anantapur general hospital demanding that a case be registered against certain persons in connection with the suspicious death.

The mysterious death of Satish Kumar has cast a shadow over the ongoing CID investigation into the Tirumala Parakamani theft case. Anantapur SP Jagadish rushed to the spot and began inquiries. Gooty GRP-CI Ajay Kumar conducted the initial inspection at the location.

Satish Kumar had been a central figure in the Parakamani-related foreign currency theft case. During his tenure as security officer, he filed a complaint accusing a man named a temple aide, C.V. Ravi Kumar, of stealing bundles of US dollars from the Parakamani area. The police investigated the complaint, registered a case and produced the accused before a court.

However, the matter took a curious turn when Satish Kumar agreed to settle the case through a Lok Adalat. This compromise led to allegations that he had been influenced by political leaders and senior TTD officials. Following this, petitions were filed seeking judicial scrutiny, resulting in the reopening of the case.

Under CID DGP Ravishankar Ayyannar, the investigation recently picked up pace and entered a sensitive stage.

Satish Kumar had appeared before the CID in Tirupati on November 6 for questioning and was instructed to return on Friday for further examination. His death on the day he was listed to attend another round of questioning raised fresh doubts and intensified speculation about the pressures surrounding the currency theft investigation.

The family members and friends lamented that Sathish Kumar was not timid to commit suicide but he had suspected a life threat in connection with the case. Srinivas, a close friend of Sathish Kumar demanded, “During regular conversations, Sathish suspected his life was in danger, but he was firm on serving his duties in a honest manner. Cases should be registered against the higher officials and the then TTD board for their likely role in this murder.”