A dairy company from Uttarakhand supplied around 68 lakh kilograms of fake ghee worth ₹250 crore to the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh over five years. The scam came to light during a CBI probe after adulteration was detected in the ghee used for laddus. Scroll on to know more about this.
Dairy Dupes Tirupati Trust With ₹250 Crore Worth Of Fake Ghee
According to News18, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, an Uttarakhand-based dairy, provided around 68 lakh kilograms of fake ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. This was revealed during an ongoing investigation by the CBI-led special investigation team (SIT). The fake ghee was supplied between 2019 and 2024 and was worth about ₹250 crore.
As per the investigation, the dairy unit hadn’t sourced any genuine milk or butter during this period, yet it still managed to meet its ghee supply contracts. This points to a large-scale adulteration scam. Reportedly, the TTD had contracted the dairy to supply ghee for preparing laddu prasadam. The SIT’s remand report states that the unit, located in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, is operated by Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain.
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Here’s What The CBI-Led Investigation Revealed
The dairy owners allegedly set up a fake ghee manufacturing unit to carry out the scam targeting the Tirupati Temple. The report accused them of forging milk procurement and payment records to make the operation appear legitimate. Interestingly, even after being blacklisted in 2022, the dairy continued to supply ghee to TTD by bidding for contracts through other dairies. These included Tirupati-based Vyshnavi Dairy, Uttar Pradesh–based Mal Ganga, and Tamil Nadu–based AR Dairy Foods.
In a shocking revelation, the investigators found that the Tirupati Temple rejected four containers of ghee last year due to adulteration with animal fat. The ghee was supplied to them by AR Dairy. However, the fake ghee made its way back to the temple via Bhole Baba Dairy, which was supplied by Vyshnavi Dairy.
They simply changed the labels on their trucks. Reportedly, the owners worked to improve the quality and consistency of the synthetic ghee, which was again supplied to Tirupati in 2024 and used in the preparation of the famous laddu prasadams.
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This is very disturbing. We hope the concerned authorities will take action against those responsible.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Krishna Narendra & Canva Pro/ninafirsova
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