SIT summons former TTD chairman Karunakar Reddy in Parakamani theft probe

The SIT probing the Parakamani theft at Tirumala has summoned former TTD Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy for questioning. The inquiry follows a High Court order after a petition challenged the closure of the theft case in the Lok Adala

Tirupati: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Parakamani theft case at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala has issued notice to former TTD Chairman B Karunakar Reddy, directing him to appear before it to record his statement.

Karunakar Reddy was the Chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) when the theft case was registered. Director General, CID, Ravi Shankar Ayyanar, who is heading the SIT, has served the notice, which mentions that the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered a detailed inquiry into the case.

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The notice also mentions that Karunakar Reddy was present during the TTD Board meeting held in connection with the Parakamani issue. The SIT launched the probe after the High Court issued orders on the petition challenging the closure of the Parakamani theft case in the Lok Adalat.

Ravi Kumar, an employee of TTD, was caught while stealing USD 920 from Parakamani (coins and currency notes counting centre) in April 2023. The theft case registered at the Tirumala police station was transferred to the Lok Adalat, where a compromise settlement formula was reached in September 2023 after Ravi Kumar volunteered to donate seven properties worth Rs 40 crore, all of them located in Tirupati and Chennai, in the name of the TTD.

Recently, a petition was filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court alleging that there was no investigation into the theft case as the then-governing board of TTD had closed the case after a settlement in the Lok Adalat. Petitioner Macherla Sreenivas had challenged the closure of the case.

The SIT recently questioned former police officers and TTD officials as part of the investigation. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was Circle Inspector (CI) of Police at Tirumala One Town Police Station when the case was registered in 2023, and other officials appeared before the SIT.

Last month, the SIT had visited Parakamani at the famous hill shrine and seized the records about the case registered at Tirumala One Town Police Station. A former Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer (AVSO) of the TTD and complainant in the theft case, Y Satish Kumar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the railway tracks at Komali village near Tadipatri in Anantapur district on November 14. Postmortem revealed that he had been hit on the back of his head with a sharp object.

Satish Kumar had caught Ravi Kumar stealing the money while counting the hundi collections. The High Court last week ordered police to provide security to Sreenivas, on whose petition the court ordered an investigation.