The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets totaling ₹129.85 crore in connection with an extensive money-laundering investigation centered on the alleged supply of adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
The agency claims that ghee worth ₹234.5 crore, intended for the sacred Lord Venkateswara Laddu Prasadam, was adulterated with palm oils and various chemicals, posing a significant risk to public health and generating illicit profits.
Assets Attached in Multi-State Probe
The ED’s Hyderabad Zonal Office initiated the attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The seized assets belong to three dairy firms: Bhole Baba Oroganic Dairymilk Pvt Ltd, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd, and Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd. The action also extends to their promoters, family members, and other associated entities and individuals.
Specifically, assets linked to Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, promoters of Bhole Baba and Sri Vyshnavi Dairy, along with Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods, and their respective families, are included in the attachment.
Investigation Traces Fraudulent Supply Chain
The ED's investigation commenced following an FIR registered at the Tirupati East Police Station. This initial complaint alleged a criminal conspiracy involving cheating, forgery, and corruption in the procurement and supply of adulterated ghee to the TTD. Subsequent chargesheets filed by the predicate agency before a Special Judge in Nellore further detailed the criminal enterprise.
According to the ED, these documents revealed a deliberate scheme to supply substandard ghee to the TTD, thereby defrauding the temple body, endangering the health of devotees consuming the Laddu Prasadam, and creating substantial unlawful gains for the perpetrators.
Adulteration and Financial Deception
The PMLA investigation uncovered that Bhole Baba supplied adulterated ghee directly and through front dairies that secured TTD tenders for a commission. The ghee was allegedly manufactured at factories operated by Bhole Baba and Sukriti Foods.
The adulteration process involved blending refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, and palmolein with chemicals such as monoglycerides, acetic acid ester, lactic acid, and beta-carotene. These components were reportedly invoiced as edible oils to mask their true nature.
To further conceal the illicit activities, the companies allegedly recorded fictitious transactions, showing palm oil sales to bogus buyers and false purchases of milk and ghee. They also documented fictitious sales of by-products like skimmed milk to create the illusion of legitimate dairy operations.
The ED also alleges that payments for these fictitious purchases, made via banking channels, were subsequently returned in cash through hawala networks. This cash was then purportedly used to finance the bogus palm oil buyers, pay commissions to the front dairies, and make other payments related to the fraudulent scheme.
Nationwide Searches and Arrests
As part of the ongoing probe, the ED conducted extensive searches on June 3, 2026, across 16 premises located in Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh. These searches targeted alleged principal conspirators, front dairies, chemical suppliers, and accommodation-entry providers.
The operations led to the seizure and freezing of cash and bank balances amounting to ₹2.7 crore. Additionally, Vipin Jain and Kailash Chand Mangla, promoters and directors of Bhole Baba Oroganic Dairymilk and Sukriti Foods respectively, were arrested. The ED accused them of orchestrating the manufacture and fraudulent supply of the adulterated ghee to the TTD.