Tender guidelines were altered?: SIT intensifies probe into Tirupati laddu adulteration case

TIRUPATI: The special investigation team (SIT) has intensified its investigation into the use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of Tirupati laddu at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala.The 9-member team includes Guntur range IG Sarvashresth Tripathi, Visakhapatnam DIG Gopinath Jatti, Kadapa SP V Harshavardhan Raju, additional SP Venkat Rao and other officers.The SIT will be operating from the police guesthouse in Tirupati.Guntur IG Sarvashresth Tripathi who was appointed as the SIT chief told reporters in Tirupati on Sunday, that the case registered at Tirupati East police station against Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods Private Limited, based on a complaint lodged by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, was taken over by the SIT."Basically this case is about supplying ghee adulterated with animal fats to the TTD by AR Dairy. We have appointed the investigation officer and will form multiple internal teams to investigate various aspects related to the ghee procurement through tender process adopted by the TTD, the quality parameters followed by the Tirupati Trust etc as part of our investigation", Tripathi added.Amidst reports that the tender guidelines were allegedly altered by the previous TTD administration during the YSRCP regime in order to handpick a few ghee suppliers, eventually leading to the ghee adulteration row, is likely to come under the purview of the SIT investigation.Meanwhile, the SIT officials met TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao at the latter's home in Tirupati on Sunday afternoon.the TTD EO briefed the SIT officials about the case and about the official report on laddu-ghee adulteration with animal fats episode, submitted by him to the state govt.