Three diamond-studded gold crowns stolen from Tirupati temple

Naveen Garewal 
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, February 3

Three diamond-studded gold crowns were reported stolen from the Andhra Pradesh’s temple town of Tirupati, police said on Sunday.   

The crowns were reported stolen from processional deities at Sri Govindaraja Swamy Temple.

Tirupati is one of India’s holiest pilgrimage sites in the state’s Chittoor district because of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—known as the richest temple in the country. The Andhra Pradesh government had asked a high court judge to head a judicial inquiry into missing antique jewellery worth hundreds of crores at the Venkateswara Temple last June.

Although located in Tirupati, the Govindaraja Swamy Temple is controlled and maintained by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and is a prominent temple in the town.