A Kolkata-based trader has come under the scanner of the CBI’s probe into the alleged adulteration of ghee meant for preparation of Tirupati laddu prasadam, said source in the federal agency.
The Central Bureau of Investigation conducts raid at the offices of some edible oil companies in Kolkata and Howrah from where the trader procured forged challans quoting higher rates than market price to supply ghee to another trader based in Dehradun, who was the main supplier for the temple in Andhra Pradesh.
“While tracking the supply channel of the ghee used for laddu preparation in Tirupati temple, we came to know about the trader in Kolkata. This development took place when we examined the papers of the Dehradun-based supplier who used to procure ghee from the trader in Kolkata,” said a CBI officer.
The alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddu came as a shock to millions of devotees of Lord Venkateswara.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said a lab report of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee supplied by private firms and accused the previous trust board and the YSRCP government of maladministration in Tirumala temple’s affairs.
A petition was subsequently filed in the Supreme Court, which ordered a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 4 to probe into the alleged adulteration of ghee.
The five-member SIT comprises two CBI officers, two senior police officers from Andhra Pradesh and one official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority oF India (FSSAI).
The CBI sleuths came to know four ghee laden tankers were sent back to Dehradun-based suppliers shortly after the adulteration controversy surfaced.
“The Dehradun-based supplier sent the four tankers to the Kolkata-based trader from whom he had procured the ingredient for preparing laduus. The trader tried to sell out the consignment in and around Kolkata but he could not,” said a CBI officer.
He said the tankers were sent to a place in Asansol, a pocket close to Jharkhand, where the consignment was shifted to another four tankers. “The trader finally managed to sell the ghee in Surendranagar in Gujarat at a price of ₹75 lakh,” said the officer.
The officer of the central agency said, “We are yet to summon the trader in Kolkata for interrogation. We are collecting all documents related to the probe from Dehradun and Kolkata before knocking on his door,” said the officer.
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