Conman arrested for duping pilgrims with fake Tirumala darshan tickets

A man accused of duping devotees by posing as a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) employee and promising special darshan tickets was on Thursday arrested by the Tirumala II Town police.

The accused, identified as 33-year-old Bodapati Naveen Chowdary of Lingangunta village in Palnadu district, allegedly used social media platforms and phone calls to lure devotees by claiming that he could arrange Srivani darshan tickets and accommodation under TTD employees’ quota.

Police said the accused reportedly cheated a Hyderabad-based woman employee of a leading Telugu television network and collected ₹65,000 in phases for six darshan tickets that were never issued. The amount included ₹47,000 transferred through UPI and ₹18,000 collected in cash after the victims arrived at Tirumala.

Acting on a complaint, a special police team tracked down the accused and arrested him in Palnadu district. The police recovered ₹45,000 in cash, a mobile phone and bank passbooks from his possession. Inquiries also revealed that four cheating cases were registered against the accused in various districts in the State.