Sabarimala Ghee Case: VACB Arrests Contractor in Alleged ₹2.5 Crore Fraud

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested a transport contractor for allegedly diverting 11,000 litres of Milma ghee meant for Sabarimala temple and replacing it with a cheaper product, causing an estimated loss of ₹2.5 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), officials said on Saturday.

The arrested contractor, S S Binu, had been awarded the transportation contract for the 2025 pilgrimage season. He was summoned for questioning on Friday and arrested following interrogation. It is the first arrest in the case.

The investigation is being conducted by the VACB’s Special Investigation Unit following a Kerala High Court directive to probe alleged irregularities in the procurement and quality of ghee supplied to the hill shrine.

The TDB had procured Milma ghee, produced by the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), for preparing Aravana payasam, a sweet made with red rice, jaggery and ghee and offered as prasadam at the Lord Ayyappa temple.

According to the VACB, the original ghee was allegedly diverted to Sri Venkateswara Traders and Leo Traders, two agencies based in Ottanchathiram, Tamil Nadu. A cheaper product was allegedly supplied to the shrine in its place.

Investigators suspect that forged documents, including fake invoices, were used to facilitate the diversion. The alleged substitution and diversion are estimated to have caused a loss of around ₹2.5 crore to the TDB.

Officials said the TDB had directly awarded the supply contract to the Pathanamthitta Milma dairy without inviting quotations. The transportation contract was subsequently entrusted to Binu.

The case concerns alleged irregularities in the supply chain for ghee used in preparing the temple’s prasadam. The VACB is continuing its investigation into the alleged diversion and the role of those involved.

The allegations have not been established in court, and further investigation is underway.