Tirupati: Tirumala II Town police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly cheating devotees by promising to arrange darshan tickets at Tirumala.
The accused, Bodapati Naveen Choudhary of Palnadu district, is said to have posed as a TTD employee on social media and through phone calls to lure unsuspecting pilgrims.
The fraud came to light following a complaint by a Hyderabad-based woman working for a Telugu media house. Police said the accused collected ₹65,000 from her on the pretext of arranging Srivani darshan tickets for six persons. After receiving the money through UPI and cash, he failed to provide the tickets and went incommunicado.
A special police team tracked down and arrested him in Palnadu district. Police recovered ₹45,000 in cash, a mobile phone and bank documents from his possession.
Preliminary investigation revealed bank transactions exceeding ₹10 lakh. The accused is also facing four cheating cases registered in Guntur, Prakasam and Krishna districts between 2021 and 2026, police said.
Police advised devotees to remain vigilant and use only the official TTD website for darshan and accommodation bookings.
The accused was produced before a court and remanded to 15 days’ judicial custody.
Sandeep Raghavan, a seasoned Indian journalist, is a Principal Di...
Read MoreSandeep Raghavan, a seasoned Indian journalist, is a Principal Digital Content Creator for The Times of India in Andhra Pradesh's Rayalaseema region. Starting in 2008 with Studio N, he moved to Deccan Chronicle in 2013 before joining TOI in 2019. He specializes in religion, politics, and crime, with notable expertise in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
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