Tirupati: A new scam has emerged as a sequel to the infamous Parakamani fraud, wherein lost-and-found items belonging to pilgrims visiting Tirumala, had been swindled.BJP leader and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board member G. Bhanuprakash Reddy has drawn attention to a 2023 report by the TTD Vigilance wing, exposing significant misappropriation within the “Lost and Found Goods” section, which is overseen by the Command Control Centre.Devotees frequently misplace valuables at Tirumala, which are collected and stored in the lost-and-found section. In case pilgrims do not claim their lost items, these are to be deposited in the Srivari main Hundi with proper documentation. However, according to the Vigilance wing report, there have been major discrepancies between the recorded entries and the actual items deposited.Bhanuprakash has alleged that certain staff and a vigilance official have misappropriated several lost valuables, including cash, jewellery and electronic devices. He specifically accused Vigilance inspector Siva Shankar of being involved in the scam. As per the Vigilance inquiry, lost-and-found section staff used mobile phones lost by the pilgrims with the knowledge of the Vigilance inspector.Additionally, the vigilance report said, cash and valuables misplaced by devotees had not been properly documented, raising concerns about their whereabouts. The section’s staff allegedly went on to collect money from pilgrims for restoring their lost goods. Supervisors as well as the Vigilance inspector shared the money thus collected.”When I approached a senior official regarding this, he dismissed the need for further scrutiny. The official claimed that the issue had already been investigated under the previous administration. However, a thorough inquiry is essential,” Bhanuprakash remarked. He pointed out that while records indicate that gold and silver ornaments had been deposited in the Srivari main hundi, CCTV footage contradicted these claims. He charged that many ornaments listed in the register are missing from the footage and staff could not provide satisfactory answers.The BJP leader said he has submitted a representation to the current TTD board, requesting a thorough inquiry into the scam.Meanwhile, TTD has repatriated Siva Shankar to his parent unit and suspended all the staff involved in the lost-and-found wing scam. Bhanuprakash says mere repatriation means the Vigilance inspector involved in such a massive scam has gone unpunished. How is that justified,” he asked. The BJP leader accused the previous YSRC government of failing to prevent the misappropriation during 2023 and take concrete action against the staff involved.
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