Does Seized Gold Worth Rs. 400 Cr Belong To TTD?

Apr 21, 2019, 19:59 IST

Tirumala: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) authorities have been reluctant to acknowledge that the 1381 kgs of gold worth Rs.400 crores seized in Tamil Nadu belongs to the TTD, while general speculation swirls around it. The election authorities in Tamil Nadu are said to have seized the gold as there were no substantiating documents from the Punjab National Bank at a time when the Model Code is in force.

What has surprised analysts is that such a large quantity of gold was being transported without proper security. The TTD Executive Officer reportedly denied any knowledge of such gold being seized, but this only heightened the doubts of political observers.

It is being speculated that there is a huge scam behind the negligence of the bank authorities and haste with which the gold was being transported. Leaders have questioned the TTD on these aspects. It is learnt that the authorities came to a conclusion that the gold belonged to the TTD. However flouting regulations which specifically say that anything over Rs.50 lakhs should be transported with police security has brought the entire matter under the cloud. Former TTD member Bhanu Prakash raised this violation and wrote to the finance ministry at the Centre complaining about this seizure.

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