Hyderabad: A dairy in Uttarakhand has become a talking point as it duped the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam with 68 lakh kg of fake ghee worth Rs 250 crore.
A probe by the CBI into the Tirupathi ghee adulteration revealed that the dairy supplied the fake ghee to the TTD, which runs the Tirupathi temple in Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, the CBI-led special investigation team had arrested Ajay Sugadh, who supplied chemicals like monodiglerides to the Bhole Baba Organic dairy.
The dairy was contracted by the TTD for supplying ghee, which was used for preparing the laddu prasadam at the Tirupati temple. The SIT revealed these details in it’s remand report submitted to the Nellore court.
The Bhole Baba Organic dairy is run by promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand. The report further reveals that the promoters set up fake manufacturing units and forged milk procurement records.
Diary blacklisted in 2022
The dairy was disqualified and black listed in 2022, yet it continued to supply adulterated ghee to the TTD by successfully bidding for contracts through other dairies including AP based Vyshnavi dairy, Tamil Nadu -based AR Dairy foods and Uttar Pradesh based Mal Ganga.
The CBI further stated that in July 2024, four containers of ghee adulterated with animal fat, which were rejected by the TTD, were supplied by AR Dairy foods were supplied back to the Tirupati trust by the Bhole Baba Organic Dairy through Vyshnavi Dairy.
As part of the investigation, when the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the SIT inspected the AR dairy plant in Tamil Nadu, it was found that four tankers used for transporting ghee never returned to the plant. They were diverted to the stone crushing unit near Vyshnavi dairy in AP.
In August 2024, the Vyshnavi dairy changed the labels of the tankers, improved the quality of the adulterated ghee and supplied the same to the Thirupati Trust. The same ghee was used to prepare laddus by the TTD.
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