Ludhiana shop owner looking to get food safety certificate duped of ₹30,000

The complainant, a resident of Sarup Nagar, Ludhiana, uncovered the forgery when he went to the civil surgeon’s office to renew the licence

Police booked a Chander Nagar resident for allegedly issuing a fake food safety licence to a meat shop owner after taking ₹30,000 from him.

A Ludhiana shop owner looking to get food safety certificate was duped of ₹30,000 by a swindler. (HT FIle)

The complainant, Pardeep Kumar of Sarup Nagar of Salem Tabri, uncovered the forgery when he went to the civil surgeon’s office to renew the licence.

He filed a complaint, following which the Salem Tabri police registered a first information report (FIR) after carrying out a primary investigation.

The accused has been identified as Kuldeep Singh of Chandar Nagar, Haibowal.

The complainant, who runs a meat shop at Jassian road, told police that he had come in contact with the accused through a common friend. Kuldeep had at the time claimed that he had connections within the health department and could help him in availing a food safety licence.

He sought a payment of ₹30,000 from the complainant and upon receiving it, furnished a forged licence which he said would be valid from March 19, 2020, to February 18, 2021. The complainant added on February 15, 2022, he went to the civil surgeon’s office to renew the licence only to be told by the health department officials that the stamps on the document were fake.

Sub-inspector Balvir Singh, who is investigating the case, said the accused has been booked, albeit after a 20-month investigation, under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penak Code (IPC) and a hunt is on for his arrest.