Private Dairy Manager Held in Aavin Scam

VILLUPURAM: The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) police have arrested the 52-year-old manager of a private dairy farm in Tiruvallur district in connection with the Aavin milk adulteration case. After inquiry, he was remanded at the Villupuram sub-jail on Saturday evening.

Arjunan, manager of Kamatchi Dairy Farm in Pallipattu village, was held after police inquiry found that he had procured milk stolen from lorries carrying it to Aavin factories at a low rate and used it in his farm. After inquiry, Arjunan was produced before the Villupuram chief judicial magistrate court and judge C K Umarasaravanan remanded him in custody till October 17. So far, 13 people, including Arjunan, have been arrested in the Aavin milk adulteration case, according to a police source.

The Vellimedupettai police had on August 20 arrested eight persons and seized 1,800 litres of milk they had kept concealed in a mini-lorry. After inquiry, they found that the milk was stolen from a tanker that was carrying it from Tiruvannamalai to the Aavin factory in Chennai. Though the police found that the milk meant for Aavin was stolen and instead of that the gang added water in the tanker lorry with the connivance of the driver, no Aavin officials came forward to lodge any complaint regarding this.

Following this, the police themselves filed a case and during inquiry found that a large network, including some Aavin officials, were involved in the fraud and the case was shifted to the CB-CID. The CB-CID on September 19 arrested Vaithianathan, the brain behind the fraud, in Chennai, and placed him in custody after producing him at the Villupuram chief judicial magistrate court. Vaithianathan is the main accused in the case.

After six days of inquiry, he was produced in the court again and remanded. Police sources said the CB-CID obtained a lot of information from Vaithianathan during inquiry. They also arrested two palkova (milk sweet) manufacturers from Vellore on Tuesday. They had allegedly got Aavin milk from the gang that indulged in adulteration and made the sweet. After inquiry, the duo has been remanded.