TIRUPATI: In a major crackdown on institutional corruption within the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids on properties belonging to Mendu Lokanatham, Deputy Executive Officer of the Tirumala temple. The operation, registered as a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case (Cr. No. 06/RCA-TCT/2026) under Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, unmasked a massive accumulation of illegal wealth valued at `5 crore.
The action follows crucial inputs shared by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) post its probe into the TTD ghee adulteration case, alongside inputs from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Central investigative agencies probing administrative anomalies within the TTD. It also builds upon a related DA case registered in April 2026 against K Chinna Appanna, PA to former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy.
Led by ACB DSP Srinivas Rao, special teams initiated coordinated strikes early Wednesday morning across key locations, including Lokanatham’s primary residence at Pedda Kapu Layout in Tirupati, his official guest house in Tirumala, his sister’s house in Chellur, premises belonging to his two brothers-in-law, and linked properties in Bengaluru.
ACB officials unearth assets worth Rs 5 crore
During the searches at Lokanatham’s residence, ACB sleuths recovered incriminating property documents. These included a house building at PK Layout in Tirupati and two plots with a building at Gollavanigunta, both registered in his wife’s name. Additionally, documents of a house plot at Padiredu Aranyam village in Vadamalapet mandal, a house plot at Srinivasa Nagar in Tirupati Urban registered in his son’s name, and four fixed deposit receipts were seized.
In searches conducted at the residences of his brothers-in-law, ACB officials seized 2 kg of gold, including a 1.42 kg gold vessel, 6.5 kg of silver, Rs 12.5 lakh cash, and a joint property document worth Rs 31.98 lakh registered in the name of the accused officer’s wife and others. The total estimated value of the illegal assets unearthed so far stands at Rs 5 crore.