VIJAYAWADA: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate alleged irregularities in the supply of substandard cow ghee and allegations of animal fat being used in the Laddu Prasadam at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), arrived in Tirupati on Friday.
According to sources, the team, including two officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), along with other officials were appointed to assist the investigation. They were stationed at the Bhudevi Complex near Alipiri Link bus station in Tirupati.
It was also reported that the CBI officers held a meeting and formed four teams, each focusing on different aspects of the investigation into the alleged irregularities.
The four teams, led by a DSP, are tasked with gathering information from the TTD regarding the details of the ghee procurement tenders of AR Dairy Pvt Ltd, inspecting the ‘Potu’— a kitchen where Laddu Prasadam is prepared, laboratory, and stores office, and also visiting the dairy in question, located in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
However, the two State government-appointed officers, Guntur Range IG Sarvashresth Tripathi and Visakhapatnam DIG Gopinath Jatti, are yet to join the investigation.
Following the directions of TTD executive officer (EO) J Syamala Rao, a local office for the SIT was set up at the Bhudevi Complex to facilitate and coordinate the probe.
The Supreme Court had earlier instructed the CBI director, on October 4, to set up a five-member team comprising two officers each from the CBI and the State police, along with a senior official from FSSAI.
In line with these instructions, the CBI appointed Joint Director S Veeresh Prabhu and CBI-SP Murali Rambha, while the State government recommended IG Tripathi, DIG Gopinath Jatti, and FSSAI nominated Satya Kumar Panda for the SIT.
The probe will be supervised by the CBI director, and the SIT head is expected to submit a detailed report on the findings.