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CBI Arrests 4 In Tirupati Laddu Case

Tirupati

In the latest update in the Tirupati laddu adulteration case, the special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four persons in connection with the alleged adulteration of the popular Tirupati laddus offered as prasadam to devotees at Andhra Pradesh’s Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple.

According to reports, The arrested persons include  Bipin Jain and Pomil Jain of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju AKA Rajasekharan, Managing Director of AR Dairy.

According to the CBI probe, the adulteration scheme was allegedly orchestrated through fraudulent supply contracts.

Vaishnavi Dairy played a key role in securing tenders to supply ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple trust responsible for preparing the prasadam. However, the representative allegedly arranged for an adulterated version.

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AR Dairy claimed that the ghee was being sourced from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee to conceal the fraud. This was done to add legitimacy to the supply, as Bhole Baba Dairy was a reputed brand. However, Pomil Jain and Bipin Jain, the former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, were allegedly in cahoots in this deception. 

Though their dairy lacked the capacity to produce the massive quantity of ghee required to prepare laddus for the temple, Jains have been accused of allowing their brand name to be misused in exchange for monetary gains.

The CBI had set up a five-member SIT in November 2024 in accordance with the orders of the Supreme Court. The SIT comprised two officers from the CBI, two from the Andhra Pradesh Police and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The controversy came to light after Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had in September 2024 claimed that animal fat was used in Tirupati laddus during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the state, sparking a major controversy within the state.

 

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