A dairy in Uttarakhand, which never sourced any milk or butter, has been implicated in a massive scam involving the supply of 68 lakh kg of ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) over five years, costing Rs 250 crore. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now probing the case after concerns arose about adulteration in the ghee used for the famous laddu prasadam at the Tirupati temple.

The investigation, which began following the arrest of Ajay Kumar Sugandh, revealed that he supplied various chemicals to Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, the entity under scrutiny. The dairy, operated by Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain in Bhagawanpur, Uttarakhand, allegedly set up a fake ghee manufacturing unit and falsified records related to milk procurement and payments.

Despite being blacklisted in 2022, the dairy continued to supply ghee to TTD by collaborating with other dairies, including Tirupati-based Vyshnavi Dairy, UP-based Mal Ganga, and Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods. Reports indicate that TTD had previously rejected four containers of ghee adulterated with animal fat, which were linked to AR Dairy. However, this same stock was later supplied back to TTD by Bhole Baba Dairy through Vyshnavi Dairy.

Further investigations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the SIT revealed that the ghee tankers did not return to AR Dairy but were instead delivered to a local stone crushing unit near the Vyshnavi Dairy plant. The labels on the trucks were changed, and the synthetic ghee was enhanced before being sent back to Tirupati in August 2024. The CBI has confirmed that this ghee was ultimately used in the preparation of the sacred laddu prasadams, raising serious concerns about food safety and integrity in the supply chain.