RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: In a chilling disclosure, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and investigating officer Dev Kumar said the accused in the adulterated milk tragedy knowingly sold contaminated milk to more than 100 customers despite being warned it could be poisonous.
Speaking to TNIE, Dev Kumar confirmed that Addala Ganeswara Rao alias Ganesh (32), a resident of Narasapuram village in Korukonda mandal, was arrested and sent to judicial remand at the Central Prison on Tuesday evening.
The case, registered under Crime No. 90/2026 of III Town Police Station, was initially booked under Section 194 of the BNSS but later altered to several Sections of the BNS.
According to police, Ganesh voluntarily appeared before investigators on February 23 and confessed to running an unauthorised milk collection centre under the name Varalakshmi Dairy for 11 years without government approval.
He admitted that glycol leakage from a freezer contaminated one of the milk cans. On February 15, he noticed abnormal freezing in a container but still sold the upper portion to customers, who later complained of bitterness.
Despite being warned by his brother-in-law, Degala Gangadhar of Narendra Puram, that glycol contamination could make the milk poisonous, Rao allegedly distributed the milk the next day to nearly 106 customers across Rajamahendravaram and his native village.
So far, four deaths have been reported, including that of 76-year-old Tadi Krishnaveni, who died on February 22 after consuming the milk. Several others remain hospitalised with complications. Police have seized drums of chemicals, including mono-glycerides and acetic acid, along with a diary detailing bribes.
The DSP said strong evidence has been secured, and further investigation is underway. “We are awaiting pathology, forensic, and veterinary lab reports,” he noted.