Social media fraudsters dupe professor of Rs 5.2 lakh with fake Tirupati puja offer

A 59-year-old professor from Seshadripuram was tricked into paying Rs 5.2 lakh by online scammers who promised to organize a special puja at Tirupati‘s Sri Venkateshwara Temple. The fraudsters, posing as temple officials, lured him with an ad on Facebook, offering a rare seva that supposedly included a golden sari and dhoti for the deities. They first claimed the service would cost Rs 2 lakh, but later convinced the professor to pay more, saying they were securing a spot for him. Despite initial payments, the scammers kept inventing excuses, leading to further losses. The fraudsters even gave false assurances of future dates for the puja.