TRAUPATI LADDU ROW: Report to those accessed by NDTV shows the role of proxy companies

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The four men arrested in the Tirupati laddoo row - on charges the ghee they supplied had animal fats - "hatched a conspiracy" to sell from companies blacklisted for supplying adulterated products, the police have said in a remand report that has been accessed by News Agency.


In the 14-page report, Tirupati Police said the investigation so far suggests these four men conspired to set up proxy companies and provided false documents, including those testifying about food safety standards and even the actual production process, to illegally win tenders.


The four men are Pomil Jai and Vipin Jain, Directors of Bhole Baba Dairy and Vyshnavi Dairy; Apurva Chavda, CEO of Vyshnavi Dairy; and R Rajasekaran, Managing Director of AR Dairy. All four have been arrested by the special CBI team conducting this investigation.

READ | 

Chiefs Of 3 Dairies Arrested In Connection With Tirupati Laddoo Case


Claims the ghee used to make the world-famous Tirupati laddoo contained animal fat made headlines last year, reaching the Supreme Court and sparking a religious and political row.


The top court noted "religion and politics cannot be allowed to mix", but ordered the federal agency to fully investigate, with help from Andhra Pradesh Police and a senior official from the central government-run Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, these allegations.


The remand report submitted by that team this week outlines several instances in which one or more of the four dairies mentioned manipulated documents and prices to win tenders.


One such example, the report said, was AR Dairy claiming to be able to supply at least six tonnes of cow milk fat per day from dairies within 1,500 km of Tirupati, as required by the tender.


However, the special team, or SIT, found this claim to be false, and that AR Dairy had "submitted false and fabricated documents... in collusion and conspiracy with others" to alter butter, ghee, and milk production figures for earlier years to show they could meet future targets.


The SIT claimed, "... actual procurement of cow milk fat handling per annum for AR Dairy, as per FSSAI report 2022/23 was 945.6 metric tonnes, or MT, of butter and 56.80 MT of ghee... however FSSAI report submitted with tender was altered with a figure of... 196.80 MT for ghee..."


The SIT also claimed quoted ghee supply prices (per kg) in tenders were manipulated, as were figures for minimum procurement of milk per day; for 2022/23 R Rajasekaran allegedly " submitted false details... 2.52 lakh litres per day even though their average milk procurement was 1.45 lakh litres per day". The tender required a minimum capacity of two lakh litres per day.


Other red flags raised by the remand report were that the ghee AR Dairy claimed to be supply was, in fact, supplied from Vyshnavi Dairy via Bhole Baba Dairy. "AR Dairy removed the seals... affixed their seals (and) prepared the documents as if the ghee was manufactured (there)".


"It is submitted that Apurva Chavda (CEO of Vyshnavi Dairy) approached Rajasekaran (MD of AR Dairy) for participating in the tender process... assuring he will take care of supply of ghee and Rs 2.75 to Rs 3 per kg commission was offered to AR Dairy", the remand report said.


It was also noted that Vyshnavi Dairy had participated in the ghee tender process "even though they are not eligible", as Apurva Chavda had earlier also "submitted fabricated documents".

READ | 

Tirupati Temple 'Purified' Amid Row Over Animal Fat In Ghee


About Bhole Baba Dairy, the report noted that in 2022 ghee purchased from that company under the 'national dairy' category, i.e., from dairies across India, "did not pass tests conducted by in-house lab".


A team from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, the government trust that runs the temple, had then visited the dairy and noted lack of "good manufacturing practices". Bhole Baba Dairy then, like Vyshnavi Dairy, had been disqualified from supplying ghee to make Tirupati laddoos.

News Agency Explains | 

How The Laddoos Made And How Ingredients Are Procured


The kitchen at the Tirupati temple makes around three lakh laddoos daily, with around 1,500 kg of ghee and vast amounts of cashew nuts, raisins, cardamoms, gram flour, and sugar used.

READ | 

Andhra Government Cites Lab Report In Row Over Animal Fat


This scandal broke last year after the Andhra Pradesh government raised a report from a Gujarat lab that said samples of the ghee bought from a supplier in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul - later confirmed as AR Dairy - contained traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, which is animal fat.


The lab's report also added a disclaimer about "false positives".


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