New Delhi/Tirupati: A special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four people in connection with the alleged adulteration of the famous Tirupati laddus offered as prasadam to devotees at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, officials said.
Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, they said.
“Four people have been arrested. Two persons (Bipin Jain and Pomi Jain) were of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda of Vaihsnavi Dairy and (Raju) Rajasekharan of AR Dairy,” an official told PTI late on Sunday night.
The investigation revealed serious violations in the ghee supply process, with irregularities occurring at every step, sources in the TTD said.
Representatives of Vaishnavi Dairy secured tenders in the name of AR Dairy for ghee supply. Vaishnavi Dairy fabricated false documents and seals, using the AR Dairy name to manipulate the tender process.
Fake records were created by Vaishnavi Dairy, falsely claiming to have sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee.
Authorities found that Bhole Baba Dairy could not supply such large quantities of ghee. The investigation team identified the irregularities and arrested four individuals from three dairies.
On the orders of the Supreme Court, the CBI set up a five-member SIT in November last year to investigate the allegations of the use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus.
The team comprised two officers from the central agency, two from Andhra Pradesh Police, and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), they said.
Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu in September claimed that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime in the state, triggering a massive political row.
