Polyester passed off as pure silk in Rs 54 crore Tirumala shawl scam

Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has initiated sweeping action after uncovering what officials describe as a long-running fraudulent supply of shawls worth more than Rs 54 crore to the Tirumala temple.

An internal vigilance inquiry found that a contractor had, over a ten-year period from 2015 to 2025, delivered polyester fabric while billing it as pure mulberry silk, which is mandated under tender conditions for shawls used in rituals such as the Vedasirvachanam and aashirvachan ceremonies and presented to major donors.

The matter surfaced after the TTD board, chaired by BR Naidu, raised concerns about discrepancies in procurement. The vigilance probe that followed revealed that a shawl costing roughly Rs 350 in the market had been invoiced at around Rs 1,300.

“A shawl that costs about Rs 350 was being billed at Rs 1,300. The total supplies would amount to more than Rs 50 crore. We have asked for an ACB probe,” Naidu said. The trust later confirmed that cumulative losses exceeded Rs 54 crore.

Scientific examination of sample shawls formed a central part of the investigation. Tests were conducted at two laboratories, including a facility under the Central Silk Board, and at another lab in Dharmavaram in Sri Satya Sai district. Both assessments established that the material was polyester and did not meet tender specifications. Vigilance officials also recorded the absence of the required silk hologram used to authenticate genuine silk products.

According to officials, one supplier and its associated firms accounted for most of the shawl consignments during the period under scrutiny.

The vigilance wing examined the firm’s transactions and submitted a detailed report to the trust board in November, prompting the request for state-level intervention.