Tirumala: Tirumala police have apprehended a 24-year-old man for allegedly deceiving devotees by impersonating Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials using a fraudulent email ID.

The accused, Boya Pavan Kalyan from Kothacheruvu in Sri Sathya Sai district, was arrested by Tirumala II Town police on Tuesday. He was produced in the court and placed under judicial remand.

According to investigators, Pavan Kalyan created a counterfeit Gmail ID—[email protected]—designed to closely resemble the official email of TTD’s Executive Officer. Using search engine optimisation (SEO) tricks, he manipulated Google search rankings to display his fake email alongside legitimate TTD contacts. Additionally, he labelled his phone number on True caller as ‘TTD JEO Office Tirumala’ to lend credibility to his scam.

Believing their requests for VIP darshan tickets had reached TTD, unsuspecting devotees fell prey to his scheme. He reportedly charged them money for facilitating the tickets, amassing nearly Rs 90,000. Acting on complaints from victims, the police launched an investigation, tracked the accused and seized his mobile phone.

Authorities have also frozen five bank accounts linked to the fraudulent activity.