Karunakar Reddy appears before AP CID in Parakamani case, denies role in alleged embezzlement

YSR Congress Party undivided Chittoor district president and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy on Tuesday appeared before the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the alleged embezzlement of offerings made to the Srivari Hundi, commonly referred to as the Parakamani case. The CID is probing the theft of foreign currency notes by a clerk in early 2023, an episode that rattled the TTD administration and shocked millions of devotees.​

After summoning several political leaders and officials who held key roles during that period and recording their statements, the agency asked Mr. Karunakar Reddy to depose as he was reportedly present at the TTD Trust Board meeting held on the Parakamani issue. He complied with the notice and appeared before the investigation team at the makeshift office set up at Sri Padmavati Rest House in Tirupati.​

Speaking to the media later, he asserted that he had no role in the case, claiming that the incident occurred before he assumed charge as TTD chairman. He added that although some of the questions posed by the investigators were “irrelevant”, he extended full cooperation to the officers.