Tirumala: Tirumala police have apprehended an inter-state thief, Muguran Nagaraju alias Shankar Rao, hailing from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and recovered gold ornaments worth Rs 13 lakh which he had stolen from women devotees. Nagaraju, a known repeat offender, deceived three women from Tamil Nadu—Uchimahali of Tiruvannamalai, Saranya of Coimbatore, and Lakshmi of Thiruvallur—by impersonating a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) employee.

According to DSP Vijay Shekhar, the accused approached the women near Akhilandam, claiming that TTD was conducting a special “Mangalya Pooja” for the longevity of husbands and the prosperity of families. Convincing them that the ritual required their ornaments, he collected their gold jewellery. He then escorted them to the Pushkarini temple tank, instructing them to take a holy dip before joining the ceremony. While the women were bathing, Nagaraju absconded with the jewellery.

After realising they had been duped, the victims lodged complaints with Tirumala One Town Police. Special investigation teams, led by Sub-Inspectors D. Ramesh Babu and C. Chalapathi, were formed. They traced Nagaraju after reviewing criminal records in Pondicherry, Chennai, and other parts of Tamil Nadu. It was revealed that he was involved in at least 20 prior cases and had a non-bailable warrant pending against him.