Goa, Dec. 11 -- The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing trust of the renowned Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh, has uncovered a massive Rs.54-crore silk shawl scam allegedly operating undetected for ten years, from 2015 to 2025.

The fraud surfaced after an internal vigilance inquiry revealed that a contractor had been supplying 100% polyester shawls while billing them as pure mulberry silk, the mandatory specification outlined in the tender. The discovery followed concerns raised by the TTD board under Chairman B. R. Naidu, prompting a thorough investigation into procurement practices.

According to the probe, the contractor consistently delivered cheaper polyester material in place of pure mulberry silk for shawls meant...