Priest dupes Karimnagar retiree in Tirupati darshan scam
KARIMNAGAR: A temple priest allegedly cheated a retired employee of ₹18.46 lakh by promising to book tickets for a Tirupati darshan and train travel, police said.
The accused, identified as Sai Tarun, worked as a priest at the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Odvaram village of Gangadhara mandal in Karimnagar district. Police said he became acquainted with the victim, who visited the temple daily for darshan.
Priest gains phone access, blocks transaction alerts
According to the complaint, Sai Tarun took the victim’s mobile phone on the pretext of booking Tirupati darshan and train tickets. During this time, he allegedly learnt the password and disabled message alerts.
Police said the priest regularly took the phone from the victim, claiming he was arranging darshan tickets.
₹18.46 lakh transferred in 30 transactions
Investigators said the priest transferred ₹18.46 lakh in 30 transactions from the victim’s bank account to another person identified as Damera Harish.
The fraud came to light when the victim visited the bank for a withdrawal and officials informed him that the account had no balance. After obtaining the statement, he found that ₹99,999 had been transferred repeatedly before 9 am on several days, police said.
The victim then approached the police and filed a complaint.
Police have taken Harish into custody and launched a search to trace Sai Tarun, who is currently absconding.
