Tirupati laddu case: SIT to issue notices to temple body's ex-chairmen, officers
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) laddu ghee case is set to issue notices to former TTD chairmen and executive officers who served during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime, sources said on Saturday.According to sources, SIT officials will likely serve the first round of notices on Monday to former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, along with Dharma Reddy, other past chairmen, executive officers, and former TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal (Deo). The officials are expected to be summoned to cooperate with the investigation.advertisementThis development marks a significant update in the high-profile probe into the alleged supply of adulterated ghee for the sacred Tirupati laddu prasadam.
This comes just two days after the SIT, led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), strongly opposed bail for the directors of three dairies accused of being at the heart of the scandal.In its arguments before the court, the CBI described the case as a "betrayal of faith", calling it not just food fraud but a deeply entrenched, multi-crore conspiracy to defraud not only the TTD but crores of devotees across the country. PSP Suresh Kumar, standing counsel for the CBI, highlighted the sensitive nature of the crime, given its connection to a religious institution.Investigators allege that Bholebaba Dairy, which did not have a formal contract with TTD, used AR Dairy as a front to secure the lucrative ghee supply agreement. While the documentation was in AR Dairy's name, the actual product was reportedly delivered by Bholebaba. Tests later revealed that the so-called ghee was not dairy-based at all, but a harmful concoction of palm oil and chemicals.advertisementThree dairies- Bholebaba, Vaishnavi, and AR Dairy - are alleged to have jointly run the racket, conducting business worth hundreds of crores. In addition to financial fraud, the CBI has also accused the accused parties of attempting to tamper with the investigation.One of the co-accused, Asish Rohilla, who had reportedly agreed to testify as a witness, was allegedly relocated under duress to Chennai and later to Delhi in an effort to silence him. The CBI argued that the accused have access to immense financial resources and could influence or threaten other witnesses if granted bail.With religious sentiment and public trust hanging in the balance, the agency has urged the court to handle the matter with the highest level of seriousness. The SIT is now focused on widening the scope of the probe to include all those who held positions of authority during the time of the alleged wrongdoing.This marks the first time that notices will be served to former TTD chairpersons in connection with the case, indicating that the investigation is now moving beyond suppliers and into the administrative chain that governed TTD during the YSRCP regime.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
Rs 9 crore lost to 21 digital arrest scams in Jan-May this year
1 2 3 Pune: Police recorded 21 digital arrest scams between Jan and May this year in which the victims lost Rs 9.21 crore. In Nov last year, a top executive of a Mumbai-based software company lodged a complaint with the Pune cyber police, stating that online fraudsters posing as CBI officials, digitally arrested him in a money laundering case, and extorted Rs6.30 crore from him. During investigations, Pune cyber police nabbed a mule account holder Tushar Harischandra Wajantri (28), a resident of Roha in Raigad district. His wife is a sarpanch of the village. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) started a ringtone in Jan this year, alerting citizens not to fall prey to online scamsters, especially those involving digital arrests. Despite this ringtone and awareness by the cyber police, cases of digital arrest are being reported regularly. Last year, police recorded 81 cases of digital arrests in which victims were cheated out of Rs49.76 crore by fraudsters. "Despite all the awareness measures, cases are being reported regularly. However, the number of such cases has reduced," said senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune cyber police. Of the 21 cases between Jan and May this year, 16 were registered by local police stations, while five were recorded by Pune cyber police station. Last year, 16 cases were registered by the cyber police station, while local police stations registered 65 cases. Police did not register a single complaint in 2023. "Last year, Rs 6.3 crore was the highest amount lost by an individual to fraudsters. Then, we received complaints in which the victims were duped of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. In most of these cases, elderly couples or individuals from Deccan, Bund Garden Road, Vimannagar, and Sahanagar were the victims," Shinde said. "With suspects using mule accounts and virtual private networks, it has become difficult to investigate such cases," she said. "If the prime mule account operators are arrested by the police, it will deter others from giving their bank accounts to fraudsters who are mostly based in foreign countries like Dubai or Cambodia," Shinde said. Sandip Gadiya, a cybercrime investigator & cyber forensic expert, said, "Fraudsters play with the sentiments of people in four ways, capitalising on fear, greed, lack of awareness, and carelessness of the victims. And these factors contribute to cyber crimes." He said, "Digital arrest fraud cases are based on fear factor in which a person is put in fear of arrest and jail, and money is extorted from him by fraudsters posing as officials of Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and police." "Though the number of digital arrest cases has reduced, the effectiveness of awareness campaign has been minimum because people do not care about frauds, thinking that these will not happen to them," Gadiya said. "Banks and telecom companies must do KYC checks of their customers properly, and if done thoroughly, the nuisance of mule bank accounts will reduce," he said. "Suspects use virtual private networks (VPNs) to make digital calls or calls through video call-making applications. The govt must keep a check on VPNs. Investigations take too long because of VPNs," he said. Year - No of cases - Amount 2023 - Nil - Nil 2024 - 81 - Rs 49.76 crores 2025 - 21 - Rs 9.21 crores (Till May end) MSID:: 121646160 413 | Pune: Police recorded 21 digital arrest scams between Jan and May this year in which the victims lost Rs 9.21 crore. In Nov last year, a top executive of a Mumbai-based software company lodged a complaint with the Pune cyber police, stating that online fraudsters posing as CBI officials, digitally arrested him in a money laundering case, and extorted Rs6.30 crore from him. During investigations, Pune cyber police nabbed a mule account holder Tushar Harischandra Wajantri (28), a resident of Roha in Raigad district. His wife is a sarpanch of the village. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) started a ringtone in Jan this year, alerting citizens not to fall prey to online scamsters, especially those involving digital arrests. Despite this ringtone and awareness by the cyber police, cases of digital arrest are being reported regularly. Last year, police recorded 81 cases of digital arrests in which victims were cheated out of Rs49.76 crore by fraudsters. "Despite all the awareness measures, cases are being reported regularly. However, the number of such cases has reduced," said senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune cyber police. Of the 21 cases between Jan and May this year, 16 were registered by local police stations, while five were recorded by Pune cyber police station. Last year, 16 cases were registered by the cyber police station, while local police stations registered 65 cases. Police did not register a single complaint in 2023. "Last year, Rs 6.3 crore was the highest amount lost by an individual to fraudsters. Then, we received complaints in which the victims were duped of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. In most of these cases, elderly couples or individuals from Deccan, Bund Garden Road, Vimannagar, and Sahanagar were the victims," Shinde said. "With suspects using mule accounts and virtual private networks, it has become difficult to investigate such cases," she said. "If the prime mule account operators are arrested by the police, it will deter others from giving their bank accounts to fraudsters who are mostly based in foreign countries like Dubai or Cambodia," Shinde said. Sandip Gadiya, a cybercrime investigator & cyber forensic expert, said, "Fraudsters play with the sentiments of people in four ways, capitalising on fear, greed, lack of awareness, and carelessness of the victims. And these factors contribute to cyber crimes." He said, "Digital arrest fraud cases are based on fear factor in which a person is put in fear of arrest and jail, and money is extorted from him by fraudsters posing as officials of Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and police." "Though the number of digital arrest cases has reduced, the effectiveness of awareness campaign has been minimum because people do not care about frauds, thinking that these will not happen to them," Gadiya said. "Banks and telecom companies must do KYC checks of their customers properly, and if done thoroughly, the nuisance of mule bank accounts will reduce," he said. "Suspects use virtual private networks (VPNs) to make digital calls or calls through video call-making applications. The govt must keep a check on VPNs. Investigations take too long because of VPNs," he said. Year - No of cases - Amount 2023 - Nil - Nil 2024 - 81 - Rs 49.76 crores 2025 - 21 - Rs 9.21 crores (Till May end) MSID:: 121646160 413 |
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Tirupati laddu case: SIT to issue notices to temple body's ex-chairmen, officers
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) laddu ghee case is set to issue notices to former TTD chairmen and executive officers who served during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime, sources said on to sources, SIT officials will likely serve the first round of notices on Monday to former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, along with Dharma Reddy, other past chairmen, executive officers, and former TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal (Deo). The officials are expected to be summoned to cooperate with the development marks a significant update in the high-profile probe into the alleged supply of adulterated ghee for the sacred Tirupati laddu prasadam. This comes just two days after the SIT, led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), strongly opposed bail for the directors of three dairies accused of being at the heart of the its arguments before the court, the CBI described the case as a "betrayal of faith", calling it not just food fraud but a deeply entrenched, multi-crore conspiracy to defraud not only the TTD but crores of devotees across the country. PSP Suresh Kumar, standing counsel for the CBI, highlighted the sensitive nature of the crime, given its connection to a religious allege that Bholebaba Dairy, which did not have a formal contract with TTD, used AR Dairy as a front to secure the lucrative ghee supply agreement. While the documentation was in AR Dairy's name, the actual product was reportedly delivered by Bholebaba. Tests later revealed that the so-called ghee was not dairy-based at all, but a harmful concoction of palm oil and dairies- Bholebaba, Vaishnavi, and AR Dairy - are alleged to have jointly run the racket, conducting business worth hundreds of crores. In addition to financial fraud, the CBI has also accused the accused parties of attempting to tamper with the of the co-accused, Asish Rohilla, who had reportedly agreed to testify as a witness, was allegedly relocated under duress to Chennai and later to Delhi in an effort to silence him. The CBI argued that the accused have access to immense financial resources and could influence or threaten other witnesses if granted religious sentiment and public trust hanging in the balance, the agency has urged the court to handle the matter with the highest level of seriousness. The SIT is now focused on widening the scope of the probe to include all those who held positions of authority during the time of the alleged marks the first time that notices will be served to former TTD chairpersons in connection with the case, indicating that the investigation is now moving beyond suppliers and into the administrative chain that governed TTD during the YSRCP regime.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
CBI nabs Dimapur bank ex-manager, proprietor of pvt firm for ‘graft'
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