Tirupati Temple Fake Ghee Scam: CBI Uncovers ₹250 Crore Fraud by Bhole Baba Dairy
Shocking Details of a 5-Year, ₹250 Crore Fraud Involving Bhole Baba Organic Dairy
Tirupati Laddu Adulteration Scandal: How a Blacklisted Dairy Betrayed Devotees with Synthetic Ghee
In a revelation that has shaken the faith of millions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered a massive fake ghee scam at the sacred Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Between 2019 and 2024, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Pvt. Ltd., a Uttarakhand-based firm, allegedly supplied 6.8 million kilograms (68 lakh kg) of adulterated ghee—worth ₹250 crore—to the temple. This spurious product, passed off as pure desi ghee, was used in preparing the world-famous Tirupati laddus, the prasadam revered by millions seeking Lord Venkateswara’s blessings.
The CBI’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court of India, exposed a chilling nexus of forgery, corruption, and food adulteration that tainted one of Hinduism’s holiest offerings.
With no genuine milk procurement to its name, Bhole Baba Dairy allegedly forged records, manipulated lab reports, and routed supplies through proxy firms to bypass its 2022 blacklist.
Authorities have since arrested 14 individuals, including key promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain, on charges of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and large-scale food adulteration.
The Dark Underbelly of the Tirupati Fake Ghee Scam: A Timeline of Deception
The Tirupati laddu, made from gram flour, sugar, and pure ghee, requires an estimated 15,000 kg of ghee daily to serve pilgrims. To meet this demand, TTD awards multi-crore tenders to certified dairies promising Agmark-grade purity.
In 2019, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Roorkee (Uttarakhand), bagged lucrative contracts at ₹291 per kg. However, investigations later revealed that the company never produced genuine ghee at all.
A Factory of Lies
According to the CBI:
- No milk or butter was ever sourced from local farmers.
- The company operated a fake manufacturing setup, producing synthetic ghee using cheap palm oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated animal fats, and industrial chemicals.
- To mimic real ghee’s aroma and color, the fraudsters added beta-carotene and artificial ghee essence.
- Chemical agents like acetic acid esters and monodiglycerides—procured from suppliers such as arrested accused Ajay Kumar Sugandh—were used to fake the Reichert-Meissl (RM) value, a critical test for ghee purity.
Over five years, nearly 68 lakh kg of adulterated ghee entered the TTD kitchens, contaminating laddus offered to Lord Balaji and distributed worldwide.
Tests by FSSAI and NDDB confirmed the presence of animal fat in the samples—turning a sacred ritual into a serious public health hazard.
Blacklisted Yet Unstoppable: The Web of Proxy Dairies and Forged Documents
By 2022, TTD’s internal audit had already flagged unsanitary conditions and fake procurement records at Bhole Baba Dairy, resulting in its blacklisting.
Yet, the masterminds—Pomil and Vipin Jain—re-entered the temple’s supply chain using proxy firms and forged documentation.
Key Front Companies and Their Roles
- Vyshnavi Dairy (Tirupati) – Won a 2020 tender but sourced its entire ghee supply from Bhole Baba. Rejected batches were repackaged and relabeled before being sent back to TTD.
- Mal Ganga Dairy (Uttar Pradesh) – Acted as a middleman, laundering adulterated stock.
- AR Dairy Foods (Tamil Nadu) – Bagged a March 2024 tender for 10 lakh kg, using fake Agmark certificates and forged lab results.
A particularly audacious episode occurred in July 2024, when TTD rejected four tankers of ghee containing animal fat. Instead of destroying the stock, the batch was diverted to a stone-crushing unit, “reprocessed,” relabeled, and resupplied via Vyshnavi Dairy—eventually making its way into laddu production.
The financial trail revealed Bhole Baba paid ₹70 lakh to AR Dairy to rig tenders and distributed commissions of ₹2.75–₹3 per kg, pocketing crores in illegal profit.
The Crackdown: 14 Arrests and an Expanding Probe
Following the Supreme Court’s October 2024 directive, the CBI SIT—comprising central officers, Andhra Pradesh officials, and FSSAI experts—launched an all-out crackdown.
Key arrests include:
- Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain – Bhole Baba promoters and prime accused.
- Raju Rajasekharan – Managing Director, AR Dairy Foods; forged tenders and resupplied rejected stock.
- Apoorva Chawda – CEO, Vyshnavi Dairy; handled relabeling and proxy documentation.
- Ajay Kumar Sugandh – Chemical supplier who helped manipulate RM values.
- 10 others – Executives, brokers, and document forgers involved in the network.
All are charged under the IPC and Food Safety and Standards Act for cheating, conspiracy, and food adulteration.
The Nellore ACB Court has extended judicial custody as the probe continues, with raids uncovering illicit assets, forged tenders, and unaccounted bank transfers.
Faith Betrayed: The Fallout and Calls for Reform
The ₹250 crore Tirupati ghee scam is not just a financial crime—it is a spiritual betrayal.
For millions of devotees who climb 3,500 steps to seek Lord Venkateswara’s blessings, the purity of prasadam is sacred. The use of animal fats and chemicals in laddus not only violates religious sanctity but also endangers public health.
Political and Institutional Repercussions
The case has triggered a political storm, with leaders trading accusations over TTD’s tendering practices and regulatory lapses.
In response, TTD has:
- Tightened supplier audits
- Mandated third-party quality certifications
- Introduced random RM-value re-testing for all ghee consignments
The CBI has vowed to purge the supply chain of corrupt vendors, while FSSAI plans nationwide dairy audits to prevent similar scams.
A Sacred Lesson: Purity Above Profit
As the investigation widens, one truth resounds through the temple corridors:
“In the house of God, purity must prevail.”
The Tirupati fake ghee scam is a wake-up call—for temples, regulators, and devotees alike. It underscores the need for transparent supply chains, strict enforcement, and uncompromising devotion to integrity.
Faith, after all, is the purest offering—and it must never be adulterated.
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