ED arrests supplier for supplying adulterated ghee to Tirupati Laddu operation

The Enforcement Directorate’s Hyderabad zonal office arrested Kailash Chand Manglam, a promoter of Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, on September 17 under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Investigators allege Manglam procured chemicals such as refined palm oil, palmolein and additives like MG-90 to produce adulterated ghee at his factory, which was then sold as Agmark Special Grade cow ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for its famed Tirupati Laddu.

A FIR lodged at Tirupati East Police Station claims the scheme ran from 2019 to 2024, valued at ₹230 crore, with ₹96 crore attributable to Manglam’s production. He is said to have used shell firms—including Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd, Malganga Milk and Agro Products Pvt Ltd and AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd—to hide the operation and falsify records. After his arrest, a Special Court in Visakhapatnam remanded him to judicial custody. The case follows earlier ED action against Vipin Jain, accused of orchestrating the broader adulteration network.