Enforcement Directorate Arrests Sukriti Foods Promoter Over Tirupati Laddu Ghee Adulteration Scandal

Federal investigators have arrested the promoter of Sukriti Foods in connection with an escalating money laundering probe into the alleged supply of adulterated ghee used to prepare the revered Tirupati Laddu prasadam. The Enforcement Directorate stated that laboratory and investigative findings indicate the sacred temple offerings were prepared using refined palm oil, palmolein, and industrial chemicals.

The arrest marks a significant escalation in the ongoing scrutiny surrounding ghee procurement contracts awarded by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams between 2019 and 2024. Investigators have valued the total disputed procurement contracts at Rs 230 crore, placing the specific manufacturing volume tied to the arrested executive at Rs 96 crore.

Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods, was taken into custody by the Hyderabad zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate on September 17. The federal agency acted under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, following an initial First Information Report registered at the Tirupati East Police Station concerning criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and corruption.

Following his arrest, Mangla was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The special court remanded him to judicial custody as the federal agency continues its probe into the financial networks surrounding the temple supply chain.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, the ghee utilised for the temple prasadam was allegedly manufactured using refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, and palmolein, mixed with various industrial and chemical additives. The agency specifically identified substances including MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet Soft 400, and acetic acid ester in the purported manufacturing process.

Investigators alleged that these blended formulations were subsequently certified and supplied to the temple administration under the guise of Agmark Special Grade Cow Ghee. The probe claims that Mangla coordinated the procurement of these adulterants and manufactured the substitute products directly at his factory premises before routing them through various front entities.

The federal probe revealed that the distribution network relied upon multiple intermediaries to disguise the origin of the adulterated shipments. The Enforcement Directorate named Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities, Malganga Milk and Agro Products, and A.R. Dairy Foods as front entities used to coordinate deliveries to the temple board.

investigators alleged that the arrested promoter created and maintained false purchase and sale records regarding genuine cow ghee and refined palm oil. These fabricated documents were reportedly designed to obscure the actual volume of chemical adulterants consumed and to project an appearance of legitimate dairy production.

The ongoing money laundering inquiry has previously resulted in similar enforcement actions within the dairy sector. The federal agency previously arrested Vipin Jain, promoter and director of Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk, on parallel charges related to the orchestration of adulterated ghee supplies destined for temple authorities.

With multiple dairy executives now detained under anti-money laundering provisions, investigators are continuing to examine the financial trail spanning the five-year procurement window, focusing on how synthetic substitutes bypassed quality verification protocols before reaching the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.