Tirupati:

A 40-year-old outsourced employee of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was arrested from Lord Venkateswara Swamy’s temple here for allegedly stealing over half a kg of gold received from devotees as offerings to the deity, said a police official on Tuesday.

Police arrested V Penchalayya for allegedly stealing 650 grams of gold worth Rs 46 lakh in the form of biscuits and jewellery over 10 to 15 times in the past one year, said the official.

“Penchalayya used to work in Parakamani, where offerings to the deity are sorted and he indulged in stealing gold offered to the deity,” the official told PTI.

At Parakamani, offerings such as cash, gold, jewellery and others are sorted. Cash is deposited in a bank while other valuables are safeguarded.

According to the police, Penchalayya, who was working in Parakmani over the past two years, was caught while trying to steal a gold biscuit by slipping it into a vehicle and was arrested on January 12 and sent to remand on Monday.

Police recovered entire 650 grams stolen gold from Penchalayya.

He was arrested under BNS Section 316 (5) for criminal breach of trust, the official added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The newly-appointed chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Board B R Naidu on Thursday (October 31, 2024) said all those who work at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, should be Hindus.

Speaking to reporters here, he said he would speak to the Andhra Pradesh government on how to deal with staff members belonging to other religions, whether they should be sent to other government departments or given VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme).

“Everyone who works at Tirumala should be Hindu. That would be my first effort. There are many issues in this. We have to look into that,” he said.

Mr. Naidu, an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara, said he considers being appointed as chairman of the TTD Board as a privilege.

He thanked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders of the state’s NDA government for giving him the responsibility of heading the Board.

B. R. Naidu, who alleged that many irregularities took place at Tirumala during the previous YSR Congress regime, said the sanctity of the temple should be safeguarded.

He also said he would work with honesty and transparency in discharging his duties.

B. R. Naidu is a media personality who runs Telugu TV channels, including a Hindu devotional channel.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday constituted a new board with 24 members for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body that administers the famous Balaji temple at Tirumala Tirupati.

The government appointed B R Naidu as chairman of the newly constituted TTD board, while Suchitra Ella, CoFounder and MD Bharat Biotech International Ltd is among the members.