The Andhra Pradesh high court on Tuesday directed that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) file criminal cases against police officers suspected to be hand in glove with the accused in the theft of foreign currency at Parakamani (currency counting centre) of Tirumala temple in April 2023, people familiar with the matter said.
A high court bench of justice G Ramakrishna Prasad, which heard the arguments in the case related to the sensational theft case at Tirumala Parakamani, ordered the Crime Investigation Department (CID) to proceed with the investigation and made it clear that the probe should not be limited to the theft angle alone.
The high court bench also directed the TTD to come up with a fresh plan of action for counting at Parakamani and expressed displeasure over lack of any instructions over frisking of devotees at the time of counting, arrangement of tables etc.
The bench observed that the CID report clearly indicates that certain police officers colluded with the accused and stressed the need for departmental action in addition to criminal proceedings.
The high court asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to look into the issue of disproportionate assets of the police officers involved in the case. The court permitted the CID and ACB to continue investigation into all aspects revealed during the probe and posted the matter for further hearing on January 8.
A police officer privy to the investigation said the CID authorities were probing the allegations against the then inspectors of police in Tirupati — Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrasekhar, and sub-inspector Lakshmi Reddy. There were also allegations against another inspector of police Vijay Kumar, who is accused of tampering with documents related to the case, who will also face criminal proceedings.
These police officers had inspected the properties of the accused CV Ravi Kumar, a head clerk in Pedda Jeeyar Swamy Mutt, who was caught while stealing US$900 during the currency counting at Parakamani in April 2023. All three officers have already been sent to vacancy reserve.
On December 16, the high court made various suggestions to curb thefts in Parakamani and streamline the counting process. It suggested that the TTD introduce Artificial Intelligence-enabled machines for accurate and transparent counting of cash and other offerings to curb thefts in Parakamani and bring in reforms in the hundi management process.
The court also suggested employing permanent employees at Parakamani, rather than engaging outsourced employees, introduction of enhanced security measures, including better integration of CCTV cameras with AI systems.