The special investigation team (SIT) led by the CBI has revealed that a dairy firm based in Uttarakhand managed to supply 68 lakh kg of fake ghee worth Rs 250 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) between 2019 and 2024.
In a shocking revelation, a Rs 250-crore scam has rocked the revered Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), where ghee used in the temple’s world-famous laddus was found to be completely fake and adulterated. The investigation has exposed a five-year-long racket (2019–2024) involving massive corruption, fake documentation, and chemical-laced “ghee” that never saw a drop of real milk.
According to a report filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Nellore court, Bhola Baba Organic Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, supplied a staggering 68 lakh kgs of adulterated ghee to the Tirupati temple — without ever purchasing a single drop of milk or butter. Despite multiple red flags and reports of contamination, the fake supplies were allegedly approved by temple officials, raising serious suspicions of internal collusion.
The SIT uncovered that the dairy’s promoters, Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain, created a fake dairy operation under the name Bhola Baba Organic Dairy. They purchased a defunct dairy unit, renamed it Harsh Fresh Dairy, and began importing palm oil and palm kernel oil from Delhi-based Bagesh and Bagesh, a major importer of Malaysian palm products.
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The adulterated mixture was produced by blending palm oil with industrial chemicals like monodiglycerides, acetic acid ester, lactic acid, beta carotene, and artificial ghee essence, sourced from Aristo Chemicals and supplier Ajay Kumar Sugandhi, who has since been arrested.
No Milk, No Butter, Just Chemistry
Shockingly, the dairy never bought milk from local farmers — confirmed during cross-examinations. Yet, they generated fake invoices and payment records to project massive dairy purchases.
This concoction was then processed into imitation ghee and dispatched in bulk to the Tirupati temple, where it was used in the preparation of the laddu prasadam—one of India’s holiest and most iconic offerings.
Officials Under Scanner
The CBI’s special investigation team suspects TTD officials may have been complicit, allowing the supply of substandard ghee even after adulteration was detected. The investigation has now extended to senior temple administrators, with plans to interrogate multiple officials.
For millions of devotees, the sacred Tirupati laddus symbolize divine purity. The revelation that they contained chemical-laced, milkless ghee has sparked outrage across the country. Investigators call it one of the most audacious acts of religious fraud in recent years.
“They managed to deceive not just a temple, but the faith of an entire nation,” an official said.
