CBI’s SIT finds TTD received adulterated ghee for over five years

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the ghee adulteration case under the supervision of the CBI has found that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) received supplies of adulterated ghee for over five years.

The arrest of Ajay Kumar Sugandh, named as A-16 in the case, has revealed disturbing details, including the use of chemicals such as monodiglycerides and acetic acid ester by Bhole Baba Dairy, which had a contract to supply ghee to the TTD.

In its remand report submitted to the ACB Court in Nellore, the SIT noted that the dairy, established at Bhagawanpur in Uttarakhand, had managed to supply an estimated 68 lakh kilograms of ghee to the TTD between 2019 and 2024—despite not procuring a single drop of milk or butter from any source in the country.

Investigations revealed that the promoters had set up a shell unit solely to supply spurious ghee worth ₹250 crore to the TTD during the period. The milk procurement and payment records produced by the Bhole Baba Dairy promoters were found to be fabricated, as local cattle rearers confirmed they had never supplied milk to the company.

The promoters reportedly purchased a defunct dairy unit nearby and procured palm oil and kernel oil under the name of Harsh Fresh Dairy from a Delhi-based importer of Malaysian palm oil. Using these oils and other chemicals, the dairy manufactured spurious ghee exclusively for supply to the TTD.

The investigators also found that the producers had indiscriminately used acetic acid esters in the final product to manipulate the RM (Reichert-Meissl) value—an essential parameter in the adulteration tests conducted by the TTD’s quality control team. Notably, Bhole Baba Dairy procured acetic acid ester worth ₹7 crore from Ajay Sugandh between 2022 and 2024 alone.

Shockingly, even after being blacklisted by the TTD in 2022, Bhole Baba Dairy continued to supply adulterated ghee by routing its bids through other dairies, including Vyshnavi Dairy of Tirupati, Mal Ganga Dairy of Uttar Pradesh, and AR Dairy Foods of Tamil Nadu.