Tirumala Temple Adulterated Ghee Row: Another Accused Arrested; TTD Ex-Chairman & RS MP YV Subba Reddy's PA Under Radar for 'Hawala' Links

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested another accused in the case of supplying adulterated ghee to TTD.

Ajay Kumar Sugandhi (39), a chemical trader based in Delhi, was arrested on Friday night and produced before the Nellore ACB Court.

The judge remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody and sent him to the Nellore Central Jail. The SIT and officials will file a petition in the ACB Court on Monday, seeking permission to take Ajay Kumar Sugandhi into custody and interrogate him.

On the same day, the ACB Court will hear the petition already filed by the SIT for the custody of former TTD Chairman and YSR Congress Party Rajya Sabha MP Y.V. Subba Reddy’s P.A., Chinnappanna. Chinnappanna allegedly received a lumpsum of money in cash from “hawala” agents linked to a Uttar Pradesh based company.

Ajay Kumar, the owner of an oils and chemicals company, was found by SIT officials to have supplied chemicals required for manufacturing adulterated ghee to Bholebaba Dairy directors Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain.

The SIT found that Ajay Kumar had purchased these chemicals from a major distributor in Delhi who imported them from South Korea in the name of his company.

The SIT found that he had supplied chemicals like monoglycerides, acetic acid, and esters to the directors of Bholebaba Dairy. The ghee made from these chemicals was supplied to TTD under the names of Vaishtavi and AR Dairy.

In total, it was found that more than 90% of the adulterated ghee manufactured by Bholebaba Dairy was mixed with palm oil.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the SIT has collected evidence confirming the link between Ajay Kumar, Pomil Jain, and Vipin Jain regarding the supply of chemicals and financial transactions.

It should be noted that Ajay Kumar was arrested in Delhi three days prior and taken to Tirupati, where he was interrogated at the SIT office.

He was later arrested on Friday night, immediately taken to the Nellore ACB Court, and produced before a judge for remand. He was named as A16 in the adulterated ghee case in the remand report.

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