₹129-crore assets attached by ED in TTD adulterated ghee case

Provisional attachment means the Enforcement Directorate has temporarily secured property and other assets suspected of being connected to crime or unlawful gains. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, this prevents the accused from selling, transferring or otherwise dealing with the assets while the case is examined. It is not the same as a final court-ordered confiscation.

In this case, the ED attached immovable and movable assets worth ₹129.85 crore. The properties belonged to companies, promoters, family members and related entities accused in the alleged adulterated-ghee supply scheme. The action forms part of an ongoing money-laundering probe based on an FIR registered in June 2024.

The attachment protects assets that investigators believe may represent unlawful gains. The article says total action so far, including earlier seizure and freezing under Section 17 of PMLA, amounts to ₹132.55 crore. Further investigation is continuing, so the case and the status of the attached assets remain subject to legal proceedings.

The latest property attachment covers immovable and movable assets valued at ₹129.85 crore. The ED said these assets belonged to companies, promoters, their family members and other entities connected with the alleged fraudulent ghee supply. The attachment was made under the PMLA during an ongoing money-laundering investigation.

The case has a separate earlier seizure and freezing figure. Searches at 16 premises on June 3, 2026, led to cash and bank balances worth ₹2.7 crore being seized or frozen. These premises were linked to principal conspirators, front dairies, chemical suppliers and accommodation-entry providers across several States and Delhi.

The ED said total attachments in the case, including seizure and freezing under Section 17 of PMLA, amount to ₹132.55 crore so far. This is higher than the latest ₹129.85-crore attachment because it includes the earlier action. The release says further investigation is under progress.

The alleged scheme involved supplying adulterated ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for making the sacred laddu prasadam offered at Tirumala. The special investigation team described it as a criminal conspiracy that cheated TTD, endangered public health and generated unlawful gains. The ED said the adulterated ghee supplied was worth ₹234.50 crore.

According to the investigation, the ghee was manufactured at factories operated by Bhole Baba and Sukriti Foods. Refined palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein were blended with monoglycerides, acetic acid ester, lactic acid and beta-carotene. The resulting material was invoiced as edible oils, while the alleged front dairies bid for TTD tenders in their own names.

The chargesheets filed before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Nellore, disclosed the alleged conspiracy. The ED has attached linked assets and arrested two promoters. It said the manufacturing and supply arrangement created large unlawful gains, while further investigation continues.

The ED named several companies and individuals in connection with the alleged adulterated-ghee supply. Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd and Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd were linked to promoters Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, respectively. Their family members were also covered by the action, along with related entities and individuals.

Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd and its promoter Kailash Chand Mangla were another major part of the alleged network. The ED said adulterated ghee was manufactured at the factories of Bhole Baba and Sukriti Foods. Other front dairies allegedly bid for TTD tenders in their own names and supplied the material through the arrangement.

The ED arrested Vipin Jain and Kailash Chand Mangla. It described them as promoters and directors who orchestrated the manufacturing of adulterated ghee and its fraudulent supply to TTD. The agency provisionally attached assets linked to these companies, promoters, families and related entities under PMLA.

Front dairies were allegedly used as intermediaries in TTD’s tender process. The ED said they bid for TTD tenders in their own names, but did so for a commission. This arrangement allegedly allowed the actual manufacturers, including Bhole Baba, to supply adulterated ghee through other entities rather than directly presenting themselves as the tendering suppliers.

The alleged mechanism separated the tender paperwork from the factories that made the material. The ED said adulterated ghee worth ₹234.50 crore was supplied by Bhole Baba, directly and through these front dairies. Commissions were paid to the front dairies for participating in the bids and facilitating the supply.

Investigators also traced cash flows connected with the commissions. Payments against fictitious purchases were allegedly returned in cash through hawala channels, and that cash was used partly to pay front dairies. The ED’s searches and asset attachments targeted principal conspirators, front dairies and other linked participants.

Investigators allege that the accused created false business records to conceal the source and movement of unlawful gains. The palm oil used in production was shown in the books as sold to bogus buyers. At the same time, fictitious purchases of milk and ghee were recorded, along with fictitious sales of by-products such as skimmed milk.

These entries were meant to project a genuine dairy operation. The ED said payments made through banking channels for the fictitious purchases were later returned in cash through hawala channels. This allegedly converted apparently formal transactions into a hidden cash system and obscured the real flow of money.

The cash was allegedly used to fund the bogus palm-oil buyers, pay commissions to front dairies and pay other people connected with the fraud. The alleged system linked manufacturing, false invoicing, tender participation and money movement. The ED’s PMLA investigation is intended to trace these unlawful gains and secure linked assets.

The alleged conduct had several stated consequences. The special investigation team said the conspiracy cheated TTD, endangered public health and generated huge unlawful gains. It also affected the preparation of sacred Lord Venkateshwara laddu prasadam, making the alleged substitution especially serious for the religious offering described in the article.

The financial impact was also substantial. The ED said adulterated ghee worth ₹234.50 crore was supplied to TTD. Investigators allege that palm oils and chemicals were blended and invoiced as edible oils, while false records and hidden cash payments supported the operation. These allegations concern both the quality of the offering and TTD’s purchases.

For the accused, the ED has arrested Vipin Jain and Kailash Chand Mangla and provisionally attached linked assets. Earlier searches seized or froze cash and bank balances. Under the PMLA investigation, the total attachment, seizure and freezing action has reached ₹132.55 crore. Further investigation is continuing, and the chargesheets are before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Nellore.