The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 129.85 crore belonging to dairy firms, their promoters and related entities in the alleged Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams ghee adulteration case, taking the total value of assets attached, seized or frozen in the investigation to Rs 132.55 crore.
The ED’s Hyderabad officials took the action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The attached assets are linked to Bhole Baba Oroganic Dairymilk Pvt Ltd, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd, their promoters Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, their family members, and Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, its promoter Kailash Chand Mangla and related persons.
According to the ED, its investigation found that adulterated ghee worth Rs 234.5 crore was allegedly supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, either directly or through front dairies. The agency alleged that the product was made by blending refined palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein with chemicals, while invoices described the materials as edible oils.
The agency also alleged that the firms recorded fictitious purchases of milk and ghee, bogus sales of palm oil and false by-product transactions to create the appearance of genuine dairy operations. Payments against the alleged fictitious purchases were reportedly returned in cash through hawala channels, which the ED said were used to finance the transactions and pay commissions.
The investigation follows an FIR registered at Tirupati East Police Station. The FIR alleges criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the supply of adulterated ghee intended for the preparation of the sacred Lord Venkateswara Laddu Prasadam.
The case concerns the procurement chain supporting one of the country’s most prominent religious institutions. The ED’s allegations therefore cover not only the quality of the product supplied but also the documentation, payment flows and intermediary entities through which the alleged transactions were conducted.
The agency had earlier searched 16 premises across six States and seized or frozen cash and bank balances worth Rs 2.7 crore. It subsequently arrested Vipin Jain and Kailash Chand Mangla for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.
The latest attachment is provisional, and the allegations form part of an ongoing investigation. The ED said further investigation in the case is continuing.
