Policeon Friday arrested Venu Vanaligam, a native of Sankarankovil in Tamil Nadu, for stealing Rs 4,000 from the hundi near the golden well in the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala. Venu, posing as a devotee, collected the cash offered by another pilgrim. The act was immediately caught on CCTV cameras and noticed by the TTD command control centre, which alerted vigilance officials. TTD vigilance staff tracked Venu’s movements through CCTV surveillance and apprehended him before he could leave the temple premises. He was later handed over to the police.

The incident of theft inside the high-security Tirumala temple created a flutter among devotees. A case has been registered and investigation is underway.