The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has revealed startling details in its probe into the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) laddu ghee adulteration case, uncovering that an Uttarakhand-based dairy, which never procured a single drop of milk or butter, managed to supply 68 lakh kg of ghee worth ₹250 crore to the temple trust between 2019 and 2024, according to a report by The Times of India (TOI).
Citing the CBI-led Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) findings, TOI reported that Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, operated by promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain in Bhagawanpur, Uttarakhand, had been contracted by TTD to supply ghee used in the making of the sacred laddu prasadam.
However, investigators found that the unit was a fake desi ghee manufacturing setup, with forged records of milk procurement and payments.
The CBI SIT, which made these revelations in its remand report submitted to a Nellore court, said the investigation intensified following the arrest of Ajay Kumar Sugandh, who allegedly supplied industrial chemicals, including monodiglycerides and acetic acid ester, to Bhole Baba Organic Dairy.
Despite being disqualified and blacklisted by TTD in 2022, Bhole Baba’s promoters allegedly continued to supply adulterated ghee by bidding through other dairies, including Tirupati-based Vyshnavi Dairy, Uttar Pradesh-based Mal Ganga Dairy, and Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods, the SIT report noted, as cited by TOI.
The investigation also found that four containers of ghee stocks adulterated with animal fat, which had been rejected by TTD in July 2024, were resupplied to the temple trust by the same promoters through Vyshnavi Dairy.
During a joint inspection by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials and the SIT at the AR Dairy plant in Dindigul, it was discovered that the four ghee tankers never returned to the AR plant. Instead, they were diverted to a local stone-crushing unit near Vyshnavi Dairy, the report stated.
According to TOI, the SIT further revealed that in August 2024, Vyshnavi Dairy, still empanelled with TTD under the Andhra Pradesh circle, rebranded and relabeled the same tankers, refined the texture and consistency of the synthetic ghee, and supplied it back to the temple trust.
The TOI report added that this same batch of ghee was subsequently used in the preparation of the Tirupati Laddu prasadams, which are distributed to lakhs of devotees at the world-famous temple.
Citing the CBI-led Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) findings, TOI reported that Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, operated by promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain in Bhagawanpur, Uttarakhand, had been contracted by TTD to supply ghee used in the making of the sacred laddu prasadam.
However, investigators found that the unit was a fake desi ghee manufacturing setup, with forged records of milk procurement and payments.
The CBI SIT, which made these revelations in its remand report submitted to a Nellore court, said the investigation intensified following the arrest of Ajay Kumar Sugandh, who allegedly supplied industrial chemicals, including monodiglycerides and acetic acid ester, to Bhole Baba Organic Dairy.
Despite being disqualified and blacklisted by TTD in 2022, Bhole Baba’s promoters allegedly continued to supply adulterated ghee by bidding through other dairies, including Tirupati-based Vyshnavi Dairy, Uttar Pradesh-based Mal Ganga Dairy, and Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods, the SIT report noted, as cited by TOI.
The investigation also found that four containers of ghee stocks adulterated with animal fat, which had been rejected by TTD in July 2024, were resupplied to the temple trust by the same promoters through Vyshnavi Dairy.
During a joint inspection by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials and the SIT at the AR Dairy plant in Dindigul, it was discovered that the four ghee tankers never returned to the AR plant. Instead, they were diverted to a local stone-crushing unit near Vyshnavi Dairy, the report stated.
According to TOI, the SIT further revealed that in August 2024, Vyshnavi Dairy, still empanelled with TTD under the Andhra Pradesh circle, rebranded and relabeled the same tankers, refined the texture and consistency of the synthetic ghee, and supplied it back to the temple trust.
The TOI report added that this same batch of ghee was subsequently used in the preparation of the Tirupati Laddu prasadams, which are distributed to lakhs of devotees at the world-famous temple.
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