Tirupati Laddu Case: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four individuals in connection with the adulteration of ghee used in the Tirumala Srivari Laddu, according to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) sources.
The arrests come as part of a Supreme Court-monitored investigation. The CBI formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. Those arrested are linked to companies supplying ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), including AR Dairy from Tamil Nadu, Parag Dairy from Uttar Pradesh, Premier Agri Foods, and Alpha Milk Foods, TDP stated.
The SIT found serious violations at every step of the ghee supply chain, leading to the arrests, sources told PTI.
According to the probe, Vaishnavi Dairy officials allegedly secured tenders using AR Dairy’s name to supply ghee to the temple. They were also involved in creating fake records to manipulate the tender process, sources claimed.
Further, the SIT discovered that Vaishnavi Dairy falsely claimed to source ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy, despite the latter lacking the production capacity to meet the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ (TTD) demand, sources added.
According to TDP, the arrested individuals are: Bipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy (Roorkee, Uttarakhand), Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy (Poonambakkam), and Raju Rajasekharan, MD of AR Dairy (Dundigal).
TDP stated that AR Dairy, which held a contract with TTD, has been found guilty of multiple violations. Joint Director Viresh Prabhu has been stationed in Tirupati to oversee the investigation.
The accused were interrogated for three days in Tirupati but reportedly did not cooperate despite strong evidence against them, TDP claimed.
Investigators have reportedly found disturbing evidence, including traces of animal carcass residues in the ghee, triggering outrage among devotees.
The probe, as per TDP, is being led by CBI Hyderabad Division Joint Director Viresh Prabhu, assisted by Visakha CBI SP Muraliramba, DIG Gopinath Jetty, IG Sarvashrestha Tripathi, and FSSAI officer Satyakumar Panda. Raids have been conducted at multiple locations, including Tirumala, Tirupati, and AR Dairy’s facility in Tamil Nadu.
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