This report on the gold stolen from Tirumala temple is independent and is not an official TTD source. Tirupati Official is an independent news website. It is not the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), a government body, or an affiliate of the temple administration. We accept no donations, offerings, bookings, or payments of any kind. For official information and donations, use only the official TTD portal at tirumala.org. Police traced the January 2025 theft to an outsourced worker inside the very hall where staff count devotees’ offerings. Security personnel caught the man as he allegedly tried to slip a gold biscuit out of the Parakamani. That is the section where volunteers sort the temple’s hundi collections. A single recovery worth about ₹46 lakh later grew into a far larger seizure, and the case still runs through the courts. 
The Tirumala gold theft case at a glance
- What happened: Staff caught an outsourced Parakamani worker allegedly concealing a 100-gram gold biscuit during the count.
- When: He was caught in mid-January 2025, and he appeared before a court on 13 January 2025.
- Initial value: Early reports put the recovered gold at about ₹46 lakh, roughly 650 grams.
- TTD’s later account: Total seizures reached about 731.5 grams of gold plus 157 grams of silver — close to ₹1 crore.
- Charge: Criminal breach of trust, with the case now under trial.
- Recovered: Police recovered the gold, so devotees did not permanently lose their offerings.
How the gold stolen from Tirumala temple was discovered
Security staff on duty in the Parakamani spotted the theft during a routine inspection. The temple administration says the worker had hidden a 100-gram gold biscuit inside the pipe hole of an empty steel hundi trolley. A standard check exposed it, and CCTV cameras had already recorded the act. The Parakamani is the hall at Tirumala where staff handle offerings from the Srivari Hundi. Every day they open, count and sort the cash, coins, gold and jewellery that devotees drop in. Because staff touch valuables directly, cameras watch every stage. That footage later became key evidence. The story of the gold stolen from Tirumala temple begins with that count. Vigilance staff filed a complaint, so Tirumala police registered a case and took over. Since staff caught the worker mid-count, they stopped the attempt before the gold left the building.
Who was arrested for the gold stolen from Tirumala temple
Police arrested a 40-year-old outsourced worker whom they identified as V. Penchalayya. He had worked in the Parakamani for about two years. He appeared before a court on 13 January 2025, and the court remanded him to judicial custody for roughly 30 days. He faces a charge of criminal breach of trust under Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators say he allegedly took gold in small amounts several times over the previous year, rather than in one large theft. These remain allegations, because the trial continues and no court has convicted him. We name the accused only because the police and the temple body have already done so publicly.
What TTD said about the gold stolen from Tirumala temple
More than a year after the arrest, TTD issued a public clarification with fuller figures. The temple body confirmed the Parakamani theft attempt and explained how staff caught the man. Its account pushed the totals well above the early ₹46 lakh estimate. Police first recovered the 100-gram gold biscuit from the counting hall. Searches at the accused’s home then turned up 555.5 grams of gold jewellery and 157 grams of silver articles. Officers recovered a further 76 grams of gold jewellery while he sat in custody.
Gold and silver recovered in the case
| Item recovered | Where it was found | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Gold biscuit | Parakamani (the theft attempt) | 100 g |
| Gold jewellery | Accused’s residence | 555.5 g |
| Gold jewellery | Recovered in police custody | 76 g |
| Gold — total | All sources combined | about 731.5 g |
| Silver articles | Accused’s residence | 157 g |
In all, the gold stolen from Tirumala temple came to about 731.5 grams by TTD’s account. That is worth close to ₹1 crore at prevailing rates, well above the value first reported. Investigators examined 12 witnesses and reviewed the accused’s finances before they filed a charge sheet. Gold prices shift constantly, so treat the rupee value as indicative. As of TTD’s clarification in early 2026, the case was still under trial, and a hearing then stood scheduled for April 2026. Because proceedings continue, no one has reached a final outcome. Readers who need the latest position should check the current court status.
How Tirumala counts and protects devotees’ offerings
The Srivari Hundi at Tirumala takes in crores of rupees in offerings, so the count runs on tight controls. Each day, workers move several sealed hundis to the Parakamani building. There, staff and volunteers open and sort the contents. They separate coins, notes, gold and silver, and they record each category before anything moves on. TTD does not appoint permanent staff to count the offerings. Instead, it draws volunteers for the Parakamani seva, often retired banking and government employees, who work the hall in shifts. This mix of paid staff and vetted volunteers is meant to stop any one person from controlling the count. The TTD Vigilance and Security Wing runs the operation with the Andhra Pradesh Police. A senior IPS-rank officer heads the wing as Chief Vigilance and Security Officer. Staff value the gold and silver each month, then transfer them to the TTD Treasury in Tirupati. The Parakamani has run under CCTV since 2012, and TTD says the cameras now feed AI-assisted monitoring that flags unusual movement. In this instance, that camera trail turned a caught-in-the-act attempt into court-ready evidence. Even so, the episode showed how much still rests on the honesty of the people inside the hall.
What changed after the theft
Across 2025, after the gold stolen from Tirumala temple came to light, TTD tightened its grip on how staff handle valuables. Reports of a separate racket in the Lost and Found section pushed it toward stricter inventory checks and wider surveillance. It also began digital records of items recovered and returned, and it reviewed how supervisors manage outsourced workers. You can follow these developments through our ongoing TTD and Tirumala updates.
The wider Parakamani case — a separate, older matter
Readers often confuse the 2025 arrest with a much larger Parakamani controversy, yet the two stay distinct. The older case dates to April 2023. Security staff then caught a Parakamani volunteer, CV Ravi Kumar, during frisking with foreign currency he had allegedly concealed. That matter later widened into claims of a misappropriation racket running into crores. The earlier case took a controversial turn through a 2023 Lok Adalat settlement, which critics said let the accused off lightly. In September 2025, the Andhra Pradesh High Court suspended that settlement and handed the probe to the Criminal Investigation Department. The court also sealed records and ordered a fresh inquiry into how the diversion happened. This wider case became politically charged, and rival parties traded blame over the earlier handling. For an ordinary devotee, though, the key point stays simple. Both the temple’s internal checks and outside judicial scrutiny now run tighter than before. The 2025 gold-biscuit arrest and the older currency case remain separate threads.
Not the temple’s only recent scare
The gold stolen from Tirumala temple was not the shrine’s only security worry in recent years. In November 2024, police arrested a visitor for allegedly taking cash from a temple donation box near the shrine. Each such case adds pressure on TTD to guard devotees’ money more closely. Officials note that layered checks and cameras catch most such attempts quickly. Even so, every incident chips at devotee confidence, and it invites the closer audits that TTD has rolled out since early 2025.
Why the gold stolen from Tirumala temple matters for devotees
For devotees, the case turns less on one worker and more on trust in where offerings end up. Police recovered the gold stolen from Tirumala temple in full, so no devotee lost a contribution. Even so, it is a reminder to route every offering through official TTD channels alone. Offerings that you place in the hundi inside the temple enter the counted system described above. If you want to donate online or book a seva, use only the official TTD portals, such as the seva portal at srivariseva.tirumala.org. Fake “TTD donation” pages appear often, and they can pocket money that never reaches the temple.
How to tell a genuine TTD channel from a fake
- Check the web address: Official TTD services run on tirumala.org and its linked seva portal, so treat look-alike domains with caution.
- Watch for “agent” fees: TTD needs no private agent to take your donation, so any extra processing fee is a red flag.
- Offer in person where you can: Cash you drop into the hundi inside the temple enters the counted, audited system directly.
- Keep your receipt: An official donation generates a valid receipt that you can verify later.
If a website promises faster darshan or a guaranteed seva slot for a fee, pause before you pay. TTD publishes its real timings, quotas and prices on its own portal, so you can cross-check there first. This website stays independent and cannot take your donation, so use the official portal whenever money is involved.
The bottom line
The case of the gold stolen from Tirumala temple ended without a loss to devotees. Staff caught the attempt, and police recovered the metal. It also exposed a weak point — insider access — that TTD has since worked to close with more cameras, closer supervision and outside scrutiny. Since the trial still runs, the final legal outcome stays open. If you plan a visit or a donation, take one lesson from all of this. Deal only with official TTD channels, and treat any site or person who asks for money on the temple’s behalf with caution. For more, see our ongoing Tirumala news coverage.
Frequently asked questions
How much gold was stolen from Tirumala temple?
Early reports in January 2025 valued the recovered gold at about ₹46 lakh, roughly 650 grams. TTD later put the total gold seized at about 731.5 grams, plus 157 grams of silver — close to ₹1 crore. Because gold prices change, treat the rupee figure as indicative.
Was the stolen gold recovered?
Yes. Police recovered the gold biscuit from the counting hall, more gold jewellery from the accused’s home, and further jewellery during custody. TTD says no devotee’s offering was permanently lost.
Who took the gold stolen from Tirumala temple?
Police arrested a 40-year-old outsourced worker who had served in the Parakamani for about two years. He faces a charge of criminal breach of trust, and the trial continues, so no court has convicted him.
What is the Parakamani at Tirumala?
The Parakamani is the hall where staff count and sort offerings from the Srivari Hundi. Volunteers separate cash, coins, gold and silver under CCTV surveillance before the valuables move to the TTD Treasury.
Is this the same as the ₹100 crore Parakamani scam?
No. The 2025 gold-biscuit arrest stays separate from an older 2023 case involving foreign currency and a disputed Lok Adalat settlement. In 2025, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered a CID probe into that older matter.
Has TTD improved security after the theft?
Yes. TTD says the Parakamani runs under multiple layers of security and continuous CCTV monitoring. Through 2025, it also tightened inventory controls, widened surveillance and reviewed how it supervises outsourced staff.
Can I donate to Tirumala temple through this website?
No. Tirupati Official is an independent news site, so it cannot take donations, offerings or bookings. Use only the official TTD portal at tirumala.org for any payment or seva.
