Sabarimala ghee scam: Two Tamil Nadu traders arrested
The investigation into alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Sabarimala temple has taken another turn, with Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) arresting two wholesale traders from Tamil Nadu.
The accused, identified as Venkateswaran and Kumaran, are residents of Oddanchatram in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district. Investigators allege that they purchased approximately 11,000 litres of ghee that had been diverted from official consignments intended for the Sabarimala shrine during the 2025 pilgrimage season.
The ghee was originally supplied by the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), which sells dairy products under the Milma brand. The federation had secured the contract to provide ghee to the temple in Pathanamthitta district.
According to investigators, contractor SS Binu allegedly diverted the stock and sold it to the two traders for approximately Rs 50 lakh. Binu was arrested last month in connection with the case.
Officials suspect that the traders knew the ghee had been obtained in violation of the supply agreement. Investigators further allege that after diverting the original stock, the contractor supplied a lower-quality alternative to the temple.
The alleged substitution is estimated to have caused a financial loss of around Rs 2.5 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine.
The case has already resulted in multiple arrests. Jayalal, a Devaswom Board employee assigned to supervise the temple’s storage facility during the 2025 pilgrimage season, was previously arrested for allegedly entering false information in official records relating to the ghee supply.
Former TDB president PS Prasanth is also among three individuals previously booked in the investigation. The Kerala High Court ordered a vigilance investigation after concerns were raised before the court regarding possible violations of tender procedures and the quality of ghee delivered to the temple. The latest arrests are expected to add another dimension to the ongoing probe.