Scams shake TTD and Tirupati temple: How Andhra’s holiest shrine is battling frauds - four key cases

These scams have led to widespread public outrage and have also raised serious concerns about the management and transparency of one of India’s holiest temples. (Image: X)

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, has been facing a series of major scams in recent times. These scams have led to widespread public outrage and have also raised serious concerns about the management and transparency of one of India’s holiest temples.

Here are the top four latest scams linked to TTD and the Tirupati temple:

Adulterated ghee scam

One of the biggest controversies in recent times at the Tirupati temple is the adulterated ghee scam. This involves the supply of fake and impure ghee, used in making the famous Tirupati Laddu prasadam, which is offered to devotees as holy food. Investigations revealed that over 68 lakh kilograms of spurious ghee was supplied to the temple over a period of five years.

The fake ghee was mixed with palm oil and other low-quality ingredients, compromising its purity. This fraud is estimated to have caused a financial loss of around Rs 250 crore to the temple. Several suppliers involved in the scam were blacklisted, and some temple officials are suspected of colluding with these suppliers to allow the scheme to continue.

The case is currently being probed by special investigation teams, including the CBI.

Parakamani (hundi counting room) scam

Another major scam is related to the Parakamani, the hundi counting room where all the cash donations made by devotees are collected and counted. In 2023, a staff member was caught stealing money from this secure area. This led to uncovering a deeper problem of ongoing theft and misappropriation of donations.

It is alleged that 100 crore rupees were siphoned from the temple’s hundi donations over several years. The stolen money was reportedly invested in real estate and other assets. The TTD has decided to file fresh cases with the police.

Meanwhile, the former Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer (AVSO) of TTD, and complainant in the temple theft case, Y Satish Kumar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on the railway tracks at Komali village near Tadipatri on Friday morning.

Satish had caught Pedda Jeeyar mutt head clerk, C V Ravi Kumar stealing money while counting the hundi collections and later had reached a compromise with the accused Ravi Kumar in the Lok Adalat, leading to the disposal of the case.

Fake darshan letters scam

In November 2025, a new scam came to light in the city of Vijayawada. Fraudsters were found circulating fake darshan permission letters, which bore the official signature and letterhead of a high-ranking government minister. These letters falsely promised devotees priority access to special darshan at the Tirupati temple.

The scam misled many devotees who believed that these letters were genuine official passes. Police are probing the origins of these fake letters, and the TTD has issued warnings to devotees to be cautious and to verify any such claims directly through official channels.

Tulabharam donation misappropriation

The fourth scam involves misappropriation of funds collected as part of the Tulabharam ritual donations. Reports suggest that about Rs 10 crore collected from devotees was illegally diverted by a ring involving outsourcing workers and some senior officials.

The TTD’s vigilance wing has already begun investigations into this massive fraud.