Tirumala Temple Theft: Tamil Nadu Man Arrested for Stealing ₹15,000 from Tirumala Temple Hundi | Vijayawada News – Times of India

TIRUPATI: A man from Tamil Nadu was apprehended by police for stealing Rs 15,000 from the Srivari Hundi at the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala. While the incident took place on Nov 23, it came to light on Tuesday.
Tirumala I town CI Vijay Kumar said the accused, identified as Venu Lingam, is a habitual offender and was arrested by Tirumala police several times in the past. On Nov 23, Venu entered Tirumala temple at around 2 pm and managed to stick a glue strip inside the Hundi. He then waited nearby as devotees kept dropping cash offerings inside the Hundi, and seizing his chance when the crowd was thin, he quietly pulled out the glue strip with cash currencies stuck to it, put it inside his pocket and escaped.
While the Srivari Hundi is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance, it was only after the accused walked out of Tirumala temple that the TTD vigilance and security staff posted at the centralised command control centre spotted the theft and sounded an alert. Temple officials immediately informed the police while the TTD’s vigilance and security wing staff launched a search for the accused across the hill town. At around 6 pm on the same day, Venu was spotted and apprehended. The ₹15,000 he stole from the Hundi was also recovered from him. He was handed over to Tirumala I town police, who registered a case and took him into custody.
Though Tirumala temple is highly fortified and under 24/7 vigil throughout the year, such incidents keep happening once every three to five years. But each time, the culprits were caught. According to TTD sources, the last such incident was reported on March 24 of 2021, when three persons tried to insert their hands into the Hundi and grab the offerings put inside by devotees. All three were immediately arrested by the alert security staff. Six years before that, on March 24, 2015, a person was arrested for stealing ₹17,300 from the Hundi.
In most cases, the offenders try to steal from the Hundi during peak pilgrim movement around noon. “These people keep a watch on devotees when they take out cash to drop into the Hundi, and manage to sneak in and stand in the queue with them. The moment devotees get ready to drop their offerings into the Hundi, they too insert their hands inside the Hundi as if to drop cash and grab the offerings extended by the devotees,” said Vijay Kumar, explaining the modus operandi of the offenders.