Boy with mobile causes a stir in Tirumala temple

TIRUMALA: An eight-year-old boy playing with a mobile phone inside the premises of the hill shrine caused quite a stir on Saturday.The boy, son of a pilgrim Rahul from Mahrashtra was playing with an I-phone inside the Bangaru Vakili when temple staff noticed it and alerted the security staff. There is a ban on use of mobile phones inside the temple.When the boy's family came out of the temple after darshan, they were apprehended by the security staff and taken to the Assistant Vigilance Security Officer and later handed over to One Town police.However, during questioning, the boy's father said since they were visiting the temple after a long time, they were not aware of the current rules and regulations. He said his son had carried the phone inside unintentionally. He also gave a written statement to police for cooperating with the investigation and come to Tirumala if his presence was required. The boy and his father were sent away after being admonished by police.The incident has again brought to light the lax nature of security inside the temple despite several statements by TTD officials of strengthening security and acting tough if there were any lapses.  The incident happened during break darshan in the morning, when the rush of devotees is less and security persons have enough time to check everyone.