A 29-year-old fraudster, Panja Ramana Prasad, was arrested by Chittoor and Kancharapalem police on Wednesday for scamming devotees by promising special VIP darshan slots at the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh. Hailing from Bhimavaram in West Godavari, Prasad had been operating a fraudulent scheme in which he illegally booked online darshan slots and collected large sums of money from unsuspecting pilgrims.
Despite multiple complaints filed in 2021 and 2022, Prasad continued his illegal activities, evading arrest and moving between cities. The police traced his movements to Visakhapatnam and arrested him with the help of Kancharapalem police. He was subsequently transferred to Tirupati for further investigation.
Prasad’s arrest has been hailed as a major victory, and officials have praised Constable Narayana and Kancharapalem CI Ravi Kumar for their significant role in apprehending the fugitive.
This is not the first case of fraudsters exploiting devotees’ faith. Over the years, many similar scams have been uncovered, where fraudsters trick pilgrims into paying for non-existent VIP darshan bookings.