Meta glasses, fake sites and drones: Tirumala temple security has many headaches

From fake websites and touts to unwelcome drones and Meta glasses, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, is fighting security battles on many fronts. The TTD is now stepping up its crackdown on all forms of cheating and security violations — from touts and corrupt staff to fake booking websites and banned gadgets.

According to officials, the TTD has lodged 30 criminal cases against touts, who they claim lure devotees with false promises of everything from “darshan” at the temple to accommodation in VIP rooms at exorbitant prices, before disappearing.

Officials said the TTD has taken disciplinary action against 43 employees this year for violating the code of conduct, including cheating devotees. Another front the TTD is battling is fake websites, with authorities saying the devasthanam has identified 249 such platforms using attractive advertisements, posters, and false promises regarding “darshan” and room allotments.

“In addition to registering two criminal cases, TTD has successfully shut down all these websites with the cooperation of the relevant agencies,” a TTD Vigilance Department official said. For this, the TTD has issued an advisory asking devotees to remain vigilant against fake websites and links appearing online under TTD's name.

It has requested them to make bookings for TTD services, darshan, accommodation and online tickets only through the official TTD website and mobile app, and not to click on website links circulating on social media. In particular, the TTD emphasised that a website named ‘ttddevasthanam.online’ — an IP that is viral on social media — is fake.

“Some people have created this website to resemble the official online services of TTD, with only minor changes in the domain name, and are trying to cheat devotees. It falsely displays information that Srivari Darshan and Seva tickets are available for August, September and October,” an official from the office of TTD Executive Officer said.

TTD has complained to the administrators of the relevant domain platform to remove the fake website immediately, and a criminal case has been registered at Tirumala Two Town Police Station. Last week, the TTD lodged a police complaint and initiated legal action against ‘SCP Developers’, a company that purportedly posted reels on social media promising “lifetime Srivari VIP Break Darshan” at the temple to those who bought plots on the Tirupati highway.

TTD has denied that it had anything to do with the company, which has since removed its business promotion from social media. Meanwhile, the TTD is also battling on the technology front — officials claimed that 261 drones and 105 'Meta Smart Glasses' have been detected and seized at the temple entrance.

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.

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