Coimbatore Venkata Ravikumar, a senior assistant at TTD, stole from the Parakamani. He has been missing for the past year. No one knows what happened to him yet. This matter, which took place during the Jagan regime, has come to light again in the coalition government.
Authorities normally register cases against thieves, investigate old thefts, recover stolen assets, and punish the culprits. Authorities filed a case against Ravikumar during the Jagan regime for stealing dollars from TTD Parakamani. They soon labeled him a ‘donor.’
He presented some properties bought with the stolen money as donations to the TTD, portraying himself as a donor. In the TTD Board of Trustees meeting held on June 19, 2023, under the chairmanship of YV Subba Reddy, The authorities accepted assets worth ₹14.43 crore as donations from Ravikumar, recognizing him as the donor. This decision was crucial to easily closing the theft case.
Ravikumar started his job as a clerk in a monastery in Tirumala in the 1990s. He later served as a senior assistant in the TTD Parakamani department, managing foreign currency calculations for three decades. It was during this time that he became accustomed to stealing foreign currency notes. With the money he had stolen over the years, he bought huge real estate properties in cities like Tirupati, Renigunta, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
The fact that an employee who earns a monthly salary of Rs. 40,000 could amass assets worth crores was questionable to everyone. Vigilance officials caught Ravikumar stealing dollars from Parakamani on April 29, 2023. At that time, he pleaded, “This is my first mistake, I will not do it again.”
Authorities registered a case and filed a charge sheet on May 30, but the Lok Adalat settled it on September 9, 2023, before the trial began. There are allegations that the then ruling party leaders and high-ranking officials pressured him to withdraw the vigilance complaint.
Ravikumar’s case concluded within three months, making it the fastest-ever resolution in Parakamani’s history. Ravikumar’s disappearance a few months after the case’s settlement raises new questions. No one knows where he has been since September last year.
The Parakamani theft case came to the fore again in June 2024 when the coalition government came to power. The CID is reinvestigating the case as per the High Court’s orders. The assets donated by Ravikumar are only a small part.
There are allegations that the remaining assets are in large quantities and that key YSRCP leaders and officials have registered them in the names of their benami. Reports indicate that these assets are worth tens of crores.The CID is now examining the transactions and registration records of these assets. Authorities will also investigate former officials involved in the Parakamani theft case.
