Rs 96 crore in fake ghee: ED arrests key accused in Tirupati laddu case

Rs 96 crore worth of fake ghee, one arrest, and a case that's still growing. Here's the latest on the TTD scandal

September 19, 2026

The ED arrested Sukriti Foods promoter Kailash Chand Mangla for allegedly manufacturing adulterated ghee worth Rs 96 crore, part of a larger Rs 230 crore fraudulent supply to TTD between 2019 and 2024

The adulterated ghee was allegedly made using refined palm oil and chemical additives, then passed off as genuine cow ghee

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, in connection with its money-laundering investigation into the alleged supply of adulterated ghee used to prepare the Tirupati laddu prasadam. Mangla was arrested on September 17 by the ED’s Hyderabad Zonal Office under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and was produced before the Special PMLA Court in Visakhapatnam, which remanded him to judicial custody.

The Scale Of The Alleged Fraud

According to the ED, fraudulent ghee supplies to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) between 2019 and 2024 were valued at approximately Rs 230 crore, of which roughly Rs 96 crore worth of adulterated ghee is alleged to have been manufactured by Mangla himself. The agency’s investigation found that the adulterated product was allegedly made using refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein, and chemical additives including MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet Soft 400 and acetic acid ester — then passed off and supplied as Agmark Special Grade Cow Ghee.

How The Alleged Scheme Worked

The ED alleges Mangla facilitated the procurement of these adulterants and manufactured the adulterated ghee at his own factory, while also coordinating its supply through several front entities, including Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd, Malganga Milk & Agro Products Pvt Ltd and AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd. Investigators further allege that false purchase and sales records for ghee and refined palm oil were created and maintained specifically to conceal the use of adulterants and give the appearance of genuine cow ghee production.

Part Of A Larger, Ongoing Investigation

The case originated from an FIR registered at Tirupati East Police Station, alleging criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the ghee supply chain. Mangla’s arrest follows the ED’s earlier arrest of Vipin Jain, promoter and director of Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd, who is alleged to have orchestrated the broader scheme to manufacture and supply adulterated ghee to TTD. Separately, a CBI-led Special Investigation Team, formed on Supreme Court orders, had earlier arrested four individuals — Vipin Jain, Pomil Jain,Apoorva Chawda and Raju Rajasekharan — in connection with the same alleged scandal, which by some estimates involved nearly 60 lakh kg of adulterated ghee used to prepare over 20 crore laddus between 2019 and 2024.

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