Daijiworld Media Network - Tirupati
Tirupati, Sep 3: Mendu Lokanadham, Deputy Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), has been arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a disproportionate assets case after searches led to the seizure of unaccounted assets estimated at nearly Rs 5 crore.
The ACB had been conducting searches at Lokanadham’s residence for the past two days. Following the searches, officials took him into custody and brought him to the ACB office for questioning. Searches were also conducted at the residences of his relatives, where property documents and other records were examined.
During the raids, ACB officials seized around 2 kg of gold, 6.5 kg of silver, Rs 12.5 lakh in cash and other valuables. Several property documents and records allegedly linked to the officer were also recovered.
According to an ACB release, the action followed information shared by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding alleged disproportionate assets held by certain TTD employees. The information was shared during the CBI’s investigation into the alleged adulteration of ingredients used in Tirupati laddus.
The ACB had earlier registered a case against K. Chinna Appanna, personal assistant to former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, on April 22, 2026. Following further inquiry and collection of evidence, a separate case was registered against Lokanadham under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
The case was registered as Crime No. 06/RCA-TCT/2026. As part of the investigation, ACB teams conducted searches at four locations and seized property records and other evidence.
The documents allegedly revealed several properties acquired by Lokanadham, with some registered in the names of his wife and son. These included a house in PK Layout and two house plots with a building in Gollavanigunta residential area of Tirupati. A plot in Padiredu Aranyam village and another plot in Srinivasa Nagar were also identified.
The ACB also found four fixed deposits held in the names of Lokanadham and his son. A search at the residence of his brother-in-law led to the recovery of a property document valued at Rs 31.98 lakh, jointly held in the names of Lokanadham’s wife and others.
The total value of the assets and valuables identified so far has been estimated at nearly Rs 5 crore. Further investigation by the ACB is underway.
Lokanadham joined the TTD as a Junior Assistant on February 1, 1989, on compassionate grounds. He was subsequently promoted to Senior Assistant, Superintendent and Assistant Executive Officer before being appointed Deputy Executive Officer at TTD, Tirumala.