ED steps into Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) has entered the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case, amid growing indications of bribes allegedly paid to certain individuals through hawala transactions. According to sources, the ED has registered a case and initiated a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Earlier, a Special Investigation Team headed by the Central Bureau of Investigation, constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court, investigated the ghee adulteration case and submitted its report to a court in Nellore. The report reportedly pointed to hawala transactions allegedly used as bribes by private dairies to certain mediators involved in securing approval for ghee procurement orders.

During the probe, officials seized mobile phones belonging to suspects and are said to have established a money trail flowing into certain bank accounts. This money trail allegedly had a direct bearing on ineligible dairies securing ghee supply contracts by submitting forged documents and experience certificates to bolster their credentials. The SIT also reportedly found that fake inspection reports were generated in the names of external dairy experts.

Given the SIT’s findings on hawala transactions, the entry of the Enforcement Directorate was widely expected.