Andhra ACB registers disproportionate assets case against TTD Deputy EO

The Andhra Pradesh ACB registered a disproportionate assets case against TTD Deputy Executive Officer Mendu Lokanatham after searches in Tirupati uncovered properties, gold, silver, cash and fixed deposits valued at around Rs 5 crore. The probe followed CBI intelligence linked to the Tirumala laddu adulteration investigation

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a disproportionate assets case against TTD Deputy Executive Officer Mendu Lokanatham after simultaneous searches at four locations in Tirupati led to the discovery of illegal assets to the tune of Rs 5 crore.

The searches were conducted at four places early on Tuesday, including the house of Lokanatham and his relatives, as part of the investigation, the ACB said in a press note.

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“The ACB registered a disproportionate assets case against Lokanatham after searches at four locations in Tirupati led to the recovery of property documents and other incriminating material, with the assets valued at around Rs 5 crore,” said an official press release from the Bureau late on Tuesday.

According to the ACB, documents found at Lokanatham’s house showed that he had purchased a house in PK Layout, in Tirupati and registered it in the name of his wife.

He had also purchased two housing plots along with a building in the Gollavanigunta residential area of Tirupati city and registered them in his wife’s name, it said.

The officials also seized documents relating to a house plot purchased at Padiredu Aranyam village in Tirupati district and another plot in Srinivasa Nagar residential area of Tirupati Urban registered in the name of his son.

Four fixed deposits in the names of Lokanatham and his son were also found during the searches, it said.

Further searches at the houses of Lokanatham’s brothers-in-law led to the seizure of a joint property document in the name of the officer’s wife and others, valued at Rs 31.9 lakh.

The ACB also found 2 kg of gold, Rs 12.5 lakh in cash and 6.5 kg of silver, it said.

Meanwhile, the case was registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.

The ACB said the action followed intelligence shared by the CBI regarding disproportionate assets of some employees of the TTD during its investigation into the alleged adulteration of Tirumala laddu.

The CBI has completed its investigation into the alleged laddu adulteration case and filed a charge sheet, said the release.

As a follow-up action, the ACB’s Visakhapatnam office had earlier registered a disproportionate assets case against K Chinna Appanna, Personal Assistant to then TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy on April 22.

The ACB said Lokanatham joined TTD as a Junior Assistant on compassionate grounds on February 1, 1989.

He was subsequently promoted as Senior Assistant, Superintendent, Assistant Executive Officer and Deputy Executive Officer, and is currently working as Dy EO at TTD, Tirumala, it added.