Tirupati, Nov 12 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Andhra Pradesh continued questioning former police officers and TTD officials in the Parakamani theft case at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala.

Jaganmohan Reddy, who was Circle Inspector (CI) of Police at Tirumala One Town Police Station when the case was registered in 2023, appeared before the CID-led SIT for second time on Wednesday.

Some officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the richest Hindu temple, also appeared before the SIT led by CID Director General Ravi Shankar Ayyanar.

On Monday, the CID interrogated former CI Jaganmohan Reddy, Sub-Inspector Lakshmi Reddy, and former TTD vigilance officer Giridhar. Earlier, former Two Town CI Chandra Sekhar was also questioned.

The CID is looking into the role of police officials in the compromise between the accused C.V. Ravi Kumar and the complainant Satish Kumar.

The SIT is also examining unrecorded properties linked to the accused and alleged political interference to settle the case.

Last month, the SIT had visited Parakamani (coins and currency notes counting centre) at the famous hill shrine and seized the records pertaining to the case registered at Tirumala One Town Police Station.

The SIT launched the probe after the Andhra Pradesh High Court pulled up the police department and the DGP for not implementing its 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 920 dollars from Parakamani in April 2023.

The theft case registered at the Tirumala police station was shifted 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. The then-governing board of TTD had closed the case after a settlement in the Lok Adalat. The petitioner had challenged the closure of the case.

In September, the High Court had directed the Inspector General of CID to seize all records pertaining to the case, proceedings before the Lok Adalat and draft resolutions by the TTD board, if any, and submit the same in a sealed cover.

Also in September, two members of the TTD Trust Board released a video purportedly of the theft case.

TTD board member and BJP State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy and TTD Ex Officio member C. Divakar Reddy released the CCTV footage from the surveillance cameras fixed at Parakamani.

Ravi Kumar had allegedly swindled away currency notes by concealing them in his undergarments on April 29, 2023.

The TTD Board members alleged that he was caught in the act of stealing 11,300 dollars, but the FIR showed recovery of only 900 dollars.

They also alleged that the accused had amassed properties worth Rs 100 crore by stealing wads of foreign currency notes several times in the past.

–IANS

ms/dpb