Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has decided to examine the disproportionate assets case registered against TTD deputy executive officer Mendu Lokanadham as part of its ongoing money-laundering probe into the Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case, ED sources said.
In June, ED searched 15 locations across six states and said its investigation had traced about ₹45 crore allegedly invested in immovable properties through interconnected entities and business concerns. Around ₹60-64 lakh in cash was also seized during the searches. The CBI-SIT chargesheet in the underlying case named 36 accused, including nine TTD officials and five dairy experts, and alleged that chemically processed palm, palmolein and palm-kernel oils with additives were supplied as ghee over several years.
ED sources said the agency would look at whether the assets identified by ACB have any link with the alleged proceeds and money trail already under investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The forensic investigation, according to the inputs in the case, did not detect animal fat. The move comes after Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case against Lokanadham following information shared by the CBI after completing its investigation into the ghee adulteration case and filing a chargesheet. ED registered an ECIR in February in connection with the ghee adulteration case after the investigation flagged alleged tender manipulation, illegal gratification and hawala-linked cash transactions involving private suppliers, intermediaries and TTD officials.