ED registers money laundering case in Tirupati laddu adulteration probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case to probe an alleged ghee adulteration scam linked to the preparation of laddu prasadam at the Tirumala temple in Tirupati, officials said on Monday.

The federal probe agency has booked the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate the alleged proceeds of crime and illicit funds generated by the accused, they said.

Officials said the ED is scrutinising the first information report (FIR), documents and the chargesheet filed recently by a Central Bureau of Investigation-led special investigation team (SIT) in the matter.

According to the SIT’s findings, 36 people have been named as accused, including nine officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and five dairy experts.

The SIT has alleged that the material supplied to the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple body as ghee was not pure ghee, but chemically processed palmolein oil mixed with other ingredients.

Officials said the ED is probing possible money laundering by the accused and examining whether illicit funds were generated through the alleged adulteration of ghee supplied to the temple trust. The agency is also looking into suspected hawala transactions and diversion of funds linked to the case.

The controversy had erupted in September 2024 after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous YSR Congress Party government led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, triggering a major political row in the State.

In January, TTD Chairman B. R. Naidu said at a press conference that around 60 lakh kg of adulterated ghee, valued at about Rs 250 crore, had been supplied to the TTD during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government.

Officials said further action by the ED would depend on the outcome of its examination of financial trails and evidence placed on record by the SIT.