Lord Balaji Golden Umbrella missing; TTD files case

Taking a serious note on theft of Golden Umbrella worth about Rs 1 crore placed on Golden Chariot of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy, the abode of Tirumala, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s Joint Executive Officer Bhaskar on Thursday directed the officials to file a complaint in the police station. The JEC took this decision after discussing with concerned officials and ordered them to file a complaint in the police station.

According to sources, the Golden Umbrella is worth over Rs 1 crore and it was placed atop the chariot a few yards away from the temple’s main entrance. The place is guarded by black cat commandoes who provide security to the temple at Tirumala.

The thieves had cut one of the tin sheets covering the chariot to gain access to it, the officials said. The burglary came to light on Wednesday evening, but the time of the theft is unclear, the sources said. The Golden Chariot is usually placed on the Southern side of the Golden Temple and is in a shed made with steel sheets. The officials observed that copper sheets were cut and Golden Umbrella was stolen.