Anti-Corruption Bureau Seizes Rs 5 Crore Assets From Senior Tirumala Board Official

The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a disproportionate assets case against a senior official of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust body that manages the famous Tirumala temple, after coordinated raids at multiple locations linked to him uncovered assets and valuables worth approximately Rs 5 crore. The ACB's preliminary assessment placed the total declared value of the seized assets at around Rs 5 crore, though officials indicated that the actual market value of the properties involved could be several times higher once a full valuation is completed.

The case was registered against Mendu Lokanadham, who serves as Deputy Executive Officer of the TTD, based on information shared by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following the completion of its separate investigation into the Tirupati laddu adulteration case, in which the CBI had filed a chargesheet. As part of that broader probe, the CBI reportedly shared information relating to the assets of certain TTD employees with the ACB, prompting the state anti-corruption agency to initiate its own inquiry into Lokanadham's finances. A formal case was registered against him on Wednesday under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

To carry out the investigation, seven ACB teams led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Srinivasa Rao conducted simultaneous searches beginning around 6:00 am at multiple locations connected to Lokanadham. These included his residence in Peddakapu Layout, his office within the Tirumala temple complex, a guest house associated with him, and additional properties linked to his relatives. Investigators also examined bank lockers held by Lokanadham at a State Bank of India branch in Tirupati as part of the coordinated search operation. The searches form part of a broader investigation into allegations that Lokanadham possesses assets disproportionate to his known and declared sources of income, a violation categorized under India's anti-corruption laws governing public servants.

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As part of the ongoing probe, ACB officials are closely examining property documents, gold holdings, financial records and other valuables recovered during the raids in order to determine the full extent of the assets in question and trace their sources. According to officials, the searches were conducted under warrants specifically issued by the Nellore ACB Court, lending judicial backing to the operation. The case adds to a series of investigations that have emerged from the CBI's broader probe into irregularities at the TTD, one of the world's wealthiest and most prominent religious institutions, following the controversy surrounding alleged adulteration of the temple's famous laddu prasadam.

That earlier case had already drawn significant public and political attention, prompting heightened scrutiny of the trust's internal administration and financial practices. The latest disproportionate assets case against Lokanadham suggests that scrutiny of TTD officials may extend further, with authorities indicating that additional inquiries into other employees' assets could follow based on information already shared between central and state investigative agencies. As the investigation proceeds, ACB officials are expected to compile a detailed valuation of the seized assets and cross-reference them against Lokanadham's declared income and service records to determine whether formal charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act will be pursued further.

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