Lokanadham remanded in DA case, shifted to Nellore jail

Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has appointed Reception deputy executive officer (EO) B Bhaskar as the new deputy EO of the Tirumala temple following the arrest and remand of his predecessor M Lokanadham in a disproportionate-assets case. Lokanadham was sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a Nellore court on Friday and was later lodged in Nellore central jail.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), in its remand report, alleged that he had amassed assets worth Rs 2.91 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income during the seven-and-a-half-year period examined by the agency. The alleged disproportionate assets were assessed at 131.18 percent of his known income.

According to the ACB report, eight immovable properties linked to Lokanadham, his wife and their son were identified in Tirupati and Vadamalapeta. Among them were a shopping building and a residential complex located in Pedda Kapu Layout. The agency noted that some of the properties registered in his wife’s name had been received by her as gifts from her parents. The searches also resulted in the identification of gold valued at around Rs 32 lakh, two cars, two-wheelers, electronic equipment worth Rs 7.86 lakh and silver articles valued at Rs 2.96 lakh. The ACB seized purchase bills relating to gold and silver besides memory cards during the searches. The remand report also mentioned that the agency did not search Room No 53 of the B-type quarters at Tirumala, despite having a warrant for it. The ACB said the room had not been allotted to Lokanadham and that he and some others had only gone there temporarily.

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