The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged use of spurious ghee in the making of the Tirumala laddu on Thursday reportedly arrested TTD Executive Engineer R.S.S.V.R. Subramanyam who served as the General Manager (Procurement) during the period under scrutiny.
He was later subjected to medical examination at Ruia Hospital in Tirupati, according to sources.
The total number of arrests in the laddu adulteration related case has now gone up to 10.
The case centres on allegations that between 2019 and 2024, nearly 20 crore laddus were prepared using substandard and adulterated ghee.
The SIT inquiry reportedly found that out of 48.76 crore laddus produced during the period, nearly 40% contained palm oil, palm-kernel oil, and other chemical additives in place of pure ghee, raising serious questions about oversight and procurement practices under the previous administration.
According to SIT findings, the then TTD Board approved ghee procurement worth several crore rupees from multiple dairies, including Bholebaba Dairy (Uttarakhand), AR Dairy (Dindigul, Tamil Nadu), Vaishnavi Dairy (Punabaka, Tirupati district) and Malgang Dairies (Uttar Pradesh). It is estimated that the TTD purchased 1.61 crore kg of ghee, of which officials now claim that 68 lakh kg was adulterated.
The SIT recently questioned former TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy at his Hyderabad residence and has already detained his former personal assistant, Chinna Appanna, for interrogation.
Published – November 27, 2025 08:47 pm IST
