Priest held for theft in Tirupati

Tirupati, Aug 22 (PTI) The Chief Priest of Tirupati
Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD)-run Lord Rama Temple was arrested
here on Saturday on charges of stealing and mortgaging the
temple gold ornaments, police said.

Venkataramana Deekshithulu had allegedly stolen the
ornaments weighing about 1.3 KG and mortgaged it for about Rs
10 lakh in August last year, they said.

Based on a complaint by TTD Vigilance Wing, police
arrested the pawnbroker also.

The theft came to light when TTD officials conducted a
check of the inventory of ornaments at the temple on Friday
night, police said.

The priest, a father of three daughters, said severe
financial crisis had driven him to commit the offence though
it was an "unpardonable sin". He tried to get back the
mortgaged ornaments but in vain, police quoted him as saying.

Temple sources said the TTD, which manages the famous hill
temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here, has started
conducting a check of inventories in about 18 temples run by
it in and around Tirupati following a High Court order on
Thursday.

The High Court, which had also directed the TTD to conduct
an inventory of movable and immovable properties, had asked
it to submit a detailed report within two months. PTI COR
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