Another fraud at Tirumala: Polyester dupattas passed off as ‘silk’ for 10 years; TTD flags Rs 55 cr scam

The alleged fraud surfaced after TTD chairman B R Naidu ordered the vigilance and security wing to inspect whether the dupattas being supplied matched the original tender specifications.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body that manages the famous Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh, has uncovered yet another major procurement scandal. This time, the issue involves Pattu Sariga dupattas, the ceremonial silk shawls offered to donors, Veda Aseervachanam participants, and visiting dignitaries during special darshan.

According to the temple board, a supplier has allegedly cheated TTD for nearly a decade by delivering polyester dupattas while billing them as pure mulberry silk, causing losses worth several crores. The case has now been formally handed over to the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for a full investigation.

How the scam came to light

The alleged fraud surfaced after TTD chairman B R Naidu ordered the vigilance and security wing to inspect whether the dupattas being supplied matched the original tender specifications. These norms clearly state that each dupatta must be made of 100% pure mulberry silk, using 20/22 denier silk yarn in both warp and weft, and carry a minimum resultant count of 31.5 denier.

Every dupatta must also feature “Om Namo Venkatesaya” printed in Sanskrit on one side and in Telugu on the other, along with symbols of Sanku, Chakra and Namam, and follow fixed guidelines on size, weight and border design.

However, the vigilance team found that the dupattas delivered to TTD were not silk at all, The Times of India reported.

Scientific tests confirm polyester

Samples were collected from the TTD warehouse in Tirupati and from the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala, where most ceremonial items are stored. All the dupattas were supplied by a single firm, VRS Export of Nagari, which has been supplying different categories of cloth to the temple trust for years.

The samples were sent to the Central Silk Board (CSB) laboratories in Bengaluru and Dharmavaram for detailed analysis. Both labs confirmed the same result, the dupattas were 100% polyester. Officials also found that the mandatory silk hologram tag was missing from all pieces.

Supplier linked to crores worth of contracts

VRS Export and its sister companies have allegedly supplied cloth worth nearly Rs 54.95 crore to TTD between 2015 and 2025. During this period, the firm also received a contract to supply another 15,000 dupattas at a cost of Rs 1,389 per piece dupattas that vigilance officers now believe may also be polyester.

Based on these discoveries, the TTD board passed a resolution requesting the ACB director general to take up a detailed enquiry and initiate criminal action against everyone involved.

Calling it a “serious breach of trust”, Chairman Naidu said that the temple board had been deceived for years. “The tenderer has clearly defrauded TTD by supplying inferior material. The ACB will now look into who all are responsible and how such violations went unchecked,” he noted.