CBI arrests 4 in Tirupati laddu adulteration case Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four individuals in connection with the alleged adulteration of ghee used in Tirumala’s sacred Srivari Laddus. The arrests follow an investigation by a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT). The controversy surfaced in September 2024 when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YSR Congress Party administration of allowing adulteration in the laddus, alleging the presence of animal fats such as beef tallow, fish oil, and lard. Lab reports from the National Dairy Development Board confirmed these contaminants in ghee samples.

Following public outrage, the Supreme Court ordered a probe in October 2024, forming a five-member SIT comprising officials from the CBI, Andhra Pradesh Police, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The investigation exposed major irregularities in the ghee supply



chain. SIT findings revealed that Vaishnavi Dairy had fraudulently secured tenders using the name of AR Dairy to supply ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Fake documents and seals were used to manipulate the tender process. Further, Vaishnavi Dairy falsely claimed to source ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, which lacked the capacity to meet the demand, indicating unauthorized suppliers were involved.

The CBI arrested, Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain (Former directors, Bhole Baba Dairy), Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda (CEO, Vaishnavi Dairy) and Raju Rajasekharan (Managing Director, AR Dairy) After three days of interrogation in Tirupati, the accused remained uncooperative despite substantial evidence. They face charges of fraud, forgery, and selling adulterated food. The four will be presented before a local magistrate in Tirupati on Monday.