A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe has uncovered a shocking fraud — a dairy based in Uttarakhand managed to supply 68 lakh kilograms of ghee worth around Rs. 250 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) between 2019 and 2024, even though it never produced or sourced a single drop of milk or butter.
The startling revelation came to light during an investigation into the adulteration of ghee used for making the famous Tirupati laddus, the sacred offering distributed to devotees at the temple.
According to the CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), these details surfaced following the arrest of Ajay Kumar Sugandh, who allegedly supplied chemicals such as monodiglycerides and acetic acid ester to Bhole Baba Organic Dairy — the firm contracted by the TTD to provide ghee for the laddus. The findings were detailed in the SIT’s remand report submitted to a court in Nellore.
The investigation revealed that Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, operated by Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain in Bhagawanpur, Uttarakhand, was merely a front. The CBI found that the promoters set up a fake ghee manufacturing plant and fabricated documents showing false milk procurement and payment records to create an illusion of legitimacy.
Although Bhole Baba Dairy was blacklisted in 2022 for its dubious activities, it allegedly continued to supply adulterated ghee to the Tirupati trust by routing contracts through other dairy companies.
The CBI also discovered another disturbing incident from July 2024, when four tankers of ghee—found to be adulterated with animal fat and rejected by the TTD—were resupplied to the trust. Investigators found that instead of being sent back to AR Dairy, as claimed, the tankers were diverted to a stone crushing unit near the Vyshnavi Dairy plant.
By August 2024, Vyshnavi Dairy reportedly relabeled the containers, refined the quality and consistency of the synthetic ghee, and resold the same rejected stock to the TTD. Shockingly, this very ghee was then used in preparing the Tirupati Laddu prasadams, consumed by millions of devotees.
The CBI continues to probe how such a massive operation went undetected for years and how fake documentation and chemical adulteration infiltrated the sacred food supply chain of one of India’s most revered temples.
Also Read: Amul Lodges FIR in Tirupati ‘Prasadam’ Row Amid Allegations of ‘Misinformation Campaign’ https://www.vibesofindia.com/amul-lodges-fir-in-tirupati-prasadam-row-amid-allegations-of-misinformation-campaign/
