Whose assets have been attached?
The action covers assets linked to Bhole Baba and Sri Vyshnavi Dairy promoters Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain and their family members. Assets belonging to Sukriti Foods promoter Kailash Chand Mangla and his family members have also been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered at Tirupati East Police Station. The FIR alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the fraudulent supply of adulterated ghee to TTD.
The predicate agency subsequently filed a chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases in Nellore. According to the ED, the documents disclosed a criminal conspiracy to supply adulterated ghee to TTD for the preparation of Lord Venkateswara Laddu Prasadam, cheating the temple body, endangering public health and generating unlawful gains.
ED alleges adulterated ghee worth ₹234.5 crore was supplied
The ED's investigation under the PMLA allegedly found that Bhole Baba supplied adulterated ghee worth ₹234.5 crore to TTD, both directly and through front dairies. These dairies allegedly bid for TTD tenders in their own names in return for a commission.
The ghee was allegedly manufactured at the factories of Bhole Baba and Sukriti Foods by blending refined palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein with chemicals such as monoglycerides, acetic acid ester, lactic acid and beta-carotene. These materials were invoiced as edible oils, according to the agency.
Fictitious transactions and hawala channels alleged
To conceal the use of palm oil in the accounts, the companies allegedly showed it as having been sold to bogus buyers. Fictitious purchases of milk and ghee, along with fictitious sales of by-products such as skimmed milk, were also allegedly recorded to present the businesses as genuine dairy operations.
The ED alleged that payments made through banking channels for fictitious purchases were returned in cash through hawala channels. The cash was then allegedly used to fund bogus palm-oil buyers, pay commissions to front dairies and make payments to other people connected with the fraud.
Searches conducted across six states
The ED had earlier conducted searches on June 3, 2026, at 16 premises in Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. The premises were linked to alleged principal conspirators, front dairies, chemical suppliers and accommodation-entry providers.
The searches resulted in the seizure and freezing of cash and bank balances worth ₹2.7 crore. The ED also arrested Vipin Jain and Kailash Chand Mangla, promoters and directors of Bhole Baba Oroganic Dairymilk and Sukriti Foods, respectively. The agency alleged that they orchestrated the manufacture of adulterated ghee and its fraudulent supply to TTD.