A one-foot-tall Hanuman stone idol, consecrated by devotees near the towering Hanuman statue at the Seventh Mile on the Tirumala-Tirupati downhill ghat road, was allegedly stolen by an unidentified offender in the early hours of Wednesday. Sensing the gravity of the offence, the Tirupati district police issued a lookout notice and launched a massive search for the culprit.

Upon verifying the CCTV footage it was found that, the suspect was reportedly wearing a Govinda mala and dressed in light yellow attire. He also spoke Telugu with a Rayalaseema accent, carried two mobile phones and a scarf, bereft of any luggage.

Police said the man boarded a jeep at PAC-5 in Tirumala on Wednesday, halted briefly near the Seventh Mile Hanuman statue, and later alighted near the Alipiri footpath entrance before leaving the area.

Appealing to the public for assistance, the Tirupati police released the photo of the suspect (extracted from the footage) and urged to tip any information about his whereabouts to the SDPO, Tirumala (9440796768), the SHO, Tirumala II Town Police Station (9440796772), or the SI, Tirumala I Town Police Station (9440796771).

The police also assured that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.

Published - July 22, 2026 09:20 pm IST