The TTD Vigilance and Security personnel, who unearthed the scam of the counterfeit darshan tickets that rocked the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) management during November last, pegged the overall loss arising out of the scam at Rs. 41 lakhs.

They had also identified four persons employed by the local Andhra bank on contract basis to be deeply involved in the nefarious crime and handed them over to the local police who registered a case and produced them in the local court. The gang members designed duplicate Rs.300 - darshan tokens with the use of a carbon page in the printers and blended them along with the original tickets and sold them at the counters for normal price. The gang indulged in the crime only on the days of heavy turnout of pilgrims. Even though the gang members confessed to have been involved in the crime for just a couple of weeks before their arrest, subsequent investigations carried out by the TTD’s Vigilance personnel revealed that the roots of the crime dated back to December 2011. It had been identified that the gang had so far circulated over 13,600 special entry darshan tickets of Rs. 300 each, this besides being the cost of two laddus provided free of cost by the temple management on each ticket.

Highly placed sources said that the vigilance personnel also have rounded up several others involved in the crime.