Mendu Lokanadham, Deputy Executive Officer (Dy.EO) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple, was arrested on Thursday by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a disproportionate assets case after searches led to seizure of unaccounted assets worth Rs 5 crore.
The ACB had conducted searches at Lokanadham’s residence for the past two days as part of the investigation. Following the searches, officials took him into custody and brought him to the ACB office for further questioning. Searches were also carried out at the residences of his relatives, where officials examined property-related documents and other information.
During the raids, the ACB recovered gold, silver and platinum jewellery, cash and other valuable assets collectively estimated at around Rs 5 crore. Officials also seized crucial documents and information related to properties allegedly linked to the TTD officer.
Links to Tirumala Temple laddu row
According to an ACB press release issued late Wednesday night, the action followed information shared by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the Andhra Pradesh ACB regarding alleged disproportionate assets held by certain TTD employees. The CBI had recently completed its investigation into the alleged adulteration of ingredients used in Tirupati laddus and filed a chargesheet. During the course of that investigation, it shared relevant information with the ACB.
Based on the information, the ACB had earlier registered a case against K. Chinna Appanna, the personal assistant to former TTD chairmanYV Subba Reddy on April 22, 2026.
Following further inquiry and collection of evidence, the ACB registered a separate case against Lokanatham 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 carried out searches at four locations early Wednesday morning. Several documents and other pieces of evidence, including property records, were seized.
Properties linked to Lokanatham
According to documents recovered during the searches, the officer allegedly acquired several properties and registered some of them in the names of his family members:
- A house in PK Layout, Tirupati, registered in his wife’s name.
- Two house plots with a building in the Gollavanigunta residential area of Tirupati, also registered in his wife’s name.
- A house plot in Padiredu Aranyam village, Vadamalapeta mandal, Tirupati district.
- A house plot in the Srinivasa Nagar residential area of Tirupati Urban, registered in his son’s name.
- Four fixed deposits (FDs) held in the names of the accused officer and his son.
Searches at the residences of the officer’s brother-in-law also led to the recovery of a property document valued at Rs 31.98 lakh, held jointly in the names of the officer’s wife and others.
The ACB also seized 2 kg of gold, Rs 12.5 lakh in cash and 6.5 kg of silver during the searches. The total value of the assets and valuables identified so far is estimated at nearly Rs 5 crore, the ACB said, adding that further searches and investigation are underway.
Lokanatham’s long association with TTD
Lokanatham has been associated with TTD for several decades. He joined the organisation 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 as Deputy Executive Officer at TTD, Tirumala.
The ACB investigation into the alleged disproportionate assets is continuing.
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