Thiruvananthapuram: 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 person is S S Binu, who was awarded the contract to transport ghee to the hill shrine for the 2025 pilgrimage season. He was summoned for questioning by the VACB team on Friday and arrested subsequently, officials said.

This is the first arrest in the case, which is being investigated 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 temple.
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Ghee meant for Sabarimala allegedly diverted to Tamil Nadu

According to the VACB, the TDB had procured Milma ghee for preparing Aravana payasam, a sweet made with red rice, jaggery and ghee that is offered as prasadam at the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The TDB had directly awarded the supply contract to the Pathanamthitta dairy of the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), which markets its products under the Milma brand, without inviting quotations. The transportation contract was subsequently entrusted to Binu, officials said.

Investigators allege that the original ghee meant for Sabarimala was diverted to two agencies in Tamil Nadu and replaced with a cheaper product supplied to the shrine.
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Fake invoices suspected in diversion

The VACB suspects that Binu used forged documents, including fake invoices, to divert the original consignment to Sri Venkateswara Traders and Leo Traders, both based in Ottanchathiram in Tamil Nadu, officials said.

The alleged diversion of the original ghee and its replacement with a cheaper product caused an estimated loss of ₹2.5 crore to the TDB, according to the VACB.

Further investigation is under way, officials added.