The Tirupati Laddu ghee controversy has taken a fresh turn after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sukriti Foods promoter Kailash Chand Mangla in connection with an adulterated ghee supply case involving the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
According to the ED, Mangla was arrested from its Hyderabad office on September 17 in a money laundering investigation related to the alleged fraudulent supply of ghee used in preparing Tirupati Laddu prasadam.
He was subsequently brought before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Visakhapatnam, which took him into judicial custody.
The agency has alleged that ghee supplied to TTD between 2019 and 2024 was Agmark Special Grade Cow Ghee, and that the material used in its manufacture included refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein and a number of chemicals. MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet Soft 400 and acetic acid ester are among the substances that were identified in the investigation.
The alleged financial scale of the case is significant. The ED said ghee supplies to TTD during the five-year period were valued at around ₹230 crore. About ₹96 crore worth of allegedly adulterated ghee was allegedly produced by Mangla at his factory premises.
The agency has also alleged that Mangla helped procure the adulterants used and arranged the supply in relation to Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities, Malganga Milk & Agro Products and A.R. Dairy Foods.
The ED says false purchase and sales records were maintained in order to hide the use of adulterants and create the appearance of genuine cow ghee production.
The investigation stems from an FIR registered at Tirupati East Police Station on conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption of ghee for TTD's procurement and supply. The ED is investigating the financial aspects of the case under the money laundering law.
Mangla is not the first person arrested in the case. The ED had earlier arrested Vipin Jain, promoter and director of Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk, on charges of supplying adulterated ghee to TTD.
The Tirupati Laddu issue has attracted a lot of attention because the laddus are among the best known prasadam offerings associated with Tirumala temple. The latest arrest adds another layer to an investigation that has seen the procurement of ghee, adulteration and financial transactions associated with the supplies.
Meanwhile, there are different findings and claims around the wider controversy. As reported by The News Minute on September 19, a CBI-led SIT investigation showed that animal fat did not show up in the samples tested, while the ED has been investigating adulteration and money laundering.
The investigation is ongoing and will proceed further with the ED.
