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

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.

- MPOST BUREAU

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.