Vijayawada: Devotees waiting in long queues for darshan at the Kanaka Durga Temple have been facing an unfair situation, as brokers have been allegedly charging hefty amounts to provide VIP access within just 30 minutes.
In a recent crackdown, temple security personnel apprehended a broker named Srinivas, alias Deputy, who was facilitating unauthorized VIP darshans. Investigations indicate the involvement of some temple staff in this illegal activity.
Devotees are required to purchase a ₹500 ticket and stand in queue for hours for VIP darshan. However, brokers have been charging ₹700 per ticket to fast-track devotees through protocol darshan without official clearance. This practice has reportedly been going on for months. Previously, temple authorities caught individuals using fake media ID cards for unauthorized access and registered cases against them. Despite past crackdowns, the issue persists, with brokers shifting tactics to evade detection.
On Wednesday, security personnel caught Deputy escorting devotees from Telangana for an unauthorized protocol darshan. Upon receiving the report, Kanakadurga Temple Executive Officer (EO) Ramachandra Mohan intervened and confiscated the accused’s cellphone in the presence of the police. A probe into the broker’s call records revealed consistent communication with certain lower-level temple staff. It was found that ₹1.2 lakh was transferred to temple employees via UPI transactions over the past month.
Following the revelation, EO Ramachandra Mohan lodged a complaint with Vijayawada One Town Police on Thursday. One-town CI Guru Prakash confirmed that an investigation is underway. Meanwhile, an internal inquiry has been ordered against permanent and contract temple staff involved in the scam.
EO Mohan urged devotees not to fall for fraudulent offers of quick darshan and emphasised that any attempt to black-market darshan or service tickets will face strict legal action.
