Overview
- Seven ACB teams carried out simultaneous searches of four locations linked to deputy executive officer M. Lokanadham in Tirupati and Tirumala, with reporting that the operations began on Tuesday and ran into Wednesday.
- Officials seized property papers, four fixed deposits, bank lockers, 2 kg of gold, 6.5 kg of silver and roughly ₹12.5 lakh in cash as part of a provisional asset tally the ACB placed at about ₹5 crore.
- The ACB registered a disproportionate-assets case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and arrested Lokanadham, who was produced before the Nellore ACB court and later remanded to judicial custody.
- The bureau says the probe followed information the CBI developed while investigating alleged ghee adulteration for Tirumala laddus, but former TTD officials and political figures have publicly questioned the timing and the exact nature of CBI–ACB information sharing.
- Investigators are verifying documents, valuing seized items and comparing assets with Lokanadham’s known income with possible outcomes including further prosecutions and administrative changes at TTD that could affect day-to-day temple management.