The post-mortem at Anantapur Government Hospital revealed a deep, blunt-force injury to the back of the head, consistent with a targeted assault.
Published Nov 15, 2025 | 11:15 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2025 | 11:15 AM
Murder. (Representative image)
Synopsis: The timing of Satish’s murder – just hours before his key deposition – has heightened suspicions of a cover-up. With main accused CV Ravi Kumar still absconding, investigators are under pressure to piece together the motive behind the killing.
The mysterious death of Y Satish Kumar, former Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer (AVSO) with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and the original complainant in the infamous 2023 Parakamani theft case, has officially been declared murder.
What began as a routine summons for questioning has snowballed into what appears to be a chilling conspiracy, with forensic evidence confirming that Satish was the victim of a brutal attack, dispelling early speculation of accident or suicide.
As Special Investigation Team scrambles to connect the dots, opposition parties are up in arms, demanding an independent judicial inquiry and accusing the ruling coalition of turning the sacred Tirumala temple into a “political theatre.”
As, the probe into the case had reached its “crucial stage”, Satish was summoned for the second time for questioning by the SIT. Now posted as a Government Railway Police Circle Inspector in Guntakal, Anantapur, Satish Kumar, on 13 November, boarded Rayalaseem Express from Guntakal to Tiruapti. But he never made it.
Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on 14 November, Satish met a violent end. Railway linemen patrolling the Komali section on the Tadipatri–Gooty line found his body sprawled across the tracks. The scene immediately raised red flags – no signs of a train hit, no indication of a fall, nothing to suggest suicide.
The post-mortem at Anantapur Government Hospital revealed a deep, blunt-force injury to the back of the head, consistent with a targeted assault. Forensic experts declared that the death was neither accidental nor self-inflicted. Government Railway Police promptly registered a murder case under Section 302 IPC.
His family, shattered by the news, said Satish was in good health and had expressed no fear for his life. “Who would want him silenced? He was only doing his duty,” said his elder brother Y. Ramesh Kumar, demanding ironclad witness protection for TTD staff and seeking a CBI probe into both the theft and the murder.
The Parakamani theft remains till date as one of the biggest breaches of trust in the history of Tirumala. Parakamani is the high-security counting centre where coins, notes, and valuables from the temple’s hundis are tallied, often amounting to crores of rupees in value in offerings.
The scandal broke out in April 2023 when CCTV footage, released by then-TTD Trust Board members G. Bhanuprakash Reddy and C. Divakar Reddy, revealed a disturbing scene: CV Ravi Kumar, a Parakamani volunteer from the Pedda Jeeyangar Mutt, being frisked and found concealing $11,300 (₹9.5 lakh) in foreign currency in his undergarments.
Investigators soon alleged that this was no one-off offence as Ravi Kumar had allegedly been siphoning foreign currency for years, amassing illegal assets worth nearly ₹100 crore in Tirupati and Chennai.
Satish Kumar, then serving as an AVSO, became the whistleblower who filed the first complaint at the Tirumala police station, dragging the scandal into the public spotlight and exposing glaring security lapses in the management of devotees’ offerings.
Outrage was swift, with many calling it a desecration of a shrine often described as “Kailash on Earth.”
But in a controversial twist, the case was referred to the Tirupati Lok Adalat in September 2023. A “compromise settlement” – reportedly involving Satish – allowed Ravi Kumar to walk free without prosecution or full restitution. Critics cried foul, prompting petitions before the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
In response, the court ordered the Crime Investigation Department (CID) to reopen the probe, forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under IPS officer Ravi Shankar Ayyanar.
Summons were issued to TTD staff and Ravi Kumar’s associates, with investigators uncovering inconsistencies and suspected cover-ups. Call data records and financial trails hinted at a wider network.
The timing of Satish’s murder – just hours before his key deposition – has heightened suspicions of a cover-up. With main accused CV Ravi Kumar still absconding, investigators are under pressure to piece together the motive behind the killing.
Anantapur police said special teams are retracing Satish’s last movements: scanning CCTV footage from Guntakal station, examining the railway stretch, analysing his phone data, and questioning Rayalaseema Express passengers.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
