The Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed under the Supreme Court’s directive, has arrested four individuals in connection with the alleged adulteration of sacred laddu ghee at the Tirumala temple.
The arrested individuals are linked to organizations that supply ghee, including AR Dairy (Tamil Nadu), Parag Dairy (Uttar Pradesh), Premier Agri Foods, and Alpha Milk Foods.
Among those arrested are Bipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy (Roorkee, Uttarakhand), along with Vaishnavi Dairy (Poonamakkaban) CEO Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda and AR Dairy (Dundigal) MD Raju Rajasekharan.
Despite substantial evidence, the accused remained uncooperative during three days of interrogation in Tirupati.
The SIT conducted inspections at multiple locations, including Tirumala, Tirupati, and AR Dairy’s facility in Tamil Nadu. It was discovered that AR Dairy, which had a contract with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), was involved in multiple irregularities.
An official release revealed that representatives of Vaishnavi Dairy had submitted tenders under the name of AR Dairy, forging documents and seals to manipulate the tendering process. Vaishnavi Dairy also created fake records, falsely claiming to have sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee. However, investigations confirmed that Bhole Baba Dairy lacked the capacity to supply such large quantities.
The SIT comprises officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), including Hyderabad Division Joint Director Viresh Prabhu, Visakha CBI SP Muralimadna, DIG Gopinath Jetty, IG Sarvashrestha Tripathi, and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officer Satyakumar Panda.
On September 18, 2024, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that the ghee used for making Tirupati laddus during the previous YSR Congress Party rule was adulterated with animal fat. This claim sparked outrage among devotees and the public.
In response, the state government formed the SIT to probe the allegations. Subsequently, the Supreme Court issued orders for an independent investigation by central and state officials.
TTD requires 15,000 kg of ghee daily for laddu preparation.
A Tamil Nadu-based company had secured a tender to supply ghee at ₹320 per kg. On July 8, 2024, eight tankers of ghee arrived, with four being sent to Tirupati for testing.
On July 17, NDDB Labs confirmed adulteration with impurities in the ghee.
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