New Delhi, 03 June (H.S.): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at 15 locations across the country in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to the alleged ghee adulteration scam involving the prasadam of the revered Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh. The raids were carried out in Ahilyanagar (Maharashtra), Bikaner (Rajasthan), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Delhi, Dindigul (Tamil Nadu), Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Mumbai (Maharashtra), and Roorkee (Uttarakhand).

During the searches, the ED recovered cash amounting to ₹60 lakh and uncovered investments of proceeds of crime in assets valued at more than ₹45 crore.

According to the ED, residential and office premises linked to the accused—Pomil Jain, Vipin Jain, Raju Rajasekharan, Rajesh Mansukhlal Chavda, Apoorva Vinaykanth Chavda, Machindra Shankarrao Lanke, Ajay Kumar Sugandh, Mahesh Kumar Rohira, and Ashish Agrawal—were searched as part of the operation.

The agency also conducted searches at dairy facilities operated by AR Dairy Food Private Limited in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu; Malganga Milk and Agro Products Private Limited in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra; and Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

Several incriminating documents were seized during the raids. Preliminary findings indicate that a complex network of legal entities was allegedly used to conceal and layer the proceeds of crime.

The investigation has further revealed that the accused, allegedly acting in collusion with certain TTD officials, supplied adulterated ghee and defrauded the temple trust, causing financial losses. The illicit proceeds were subsequently invested in various immovable properties.

The Enforcement Directorate stated that further investigation into the case is ongoing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar