The Central Bureau of Investigation-led Special Investigation Team probing the alleged supply of adulterated ghee to Tirupati Tirumala temple has arrested four dairy operators over the charges. The dairy operators have allegedly created fake documents to secure the tender for supplying the ghee to the temple.
Sources in the know of the development told ANI that four persons related to dairies operating in Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu were arrested by the SIT in connection with the case. Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy in Uttarakhand, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, both in Tamil Nadu, were arrested by the SIT.
According to officials, fake seals and other documents were created by Vaishnavi Dairy to secure the ghee supply tender. “The investigation revealed serious violations during ghee supply, with irregularities at every step,” sources in the Telugu Desam Party told ANI.
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According to investigators, authorities of Vaishnavi Dairy in Tamil Nadu secured contract for supplying to the temple under the name of AR Dairy by creating fake documents and manipulating the tender process. “Vaishnavi Dairy had falsely claimed that it sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy in Uttarakhand while the authorities noticed that the latter did not possess the capacity to meet the temple board Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's demand,” an official told PTI.
Further probe is underway and SIT is probing whether there are more persons involved in the case. The SIT comprising two CBI officers, two officers from Andhra Pradesh police and a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) official was set up by the Supreme Court last year to probe allegations of using adulterated ghee to make laddu prasadam of the temple.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu kicked up a row saying ghee adulterated with animal fat was used to make the famous laddu prasadam of the temple during the previous YSRCP regime.
