E-Paper
Ludhiana: Fake medical reports given, 3 more booked
The accused have been booked under Sections 318 (4) (cheating), 336 (2,3) (forgery), 340 (2) (using forged document or electronic record as genuine), 341 (2) (making or possessing counterfeit seal etc with intent to commit forgery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
The city police have unearthed yet another layer of the fake dope test racket, booking three men for allegedly furnishing forged medical reports to secure firearm licences. The forged documents carried counterfeit stamps and fake signatures of doctors from the Ludhiana civil hospital, raising questions about how the racket continues to thrive undetected.
The fresh FIRs were registered at the division number 5 police station against Sachdev Singh Dhaliwal of Santokh Nagar and brothers Sanjeev Malik and Manish Malik of New Shivpuri, Sekhewal Road. The complaint was filed by ACP (licensing) Rajesh Sharma, who, while scrutinising files, suspected irregularities in the dope test reports.
“When I found discrepancies, I sought confirmation from the chief medical officer and senior medical officer of the Ludhiana civil hospital. They confirmed that the reports were not issued by the hospital. Based on this, I lodged a complaint,” ACP Sharma stated.
This is not an isolated case. Since May, eight FIRs have been registered for similar offences, but the kingpin supplying the forged reports remains at large. On August 20, police had registered three FIRs against Hardik Khanna of Lajpat Nagar, Uday Pratap Singh Grewal of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar (Tibba Road) and Nishan Singh of Dashmesh Nagar, Gill Road. Notably, Grewal – a nephew of a sitting MLA – reportedly managed to obtain a firearm license using a fake report.
Earlier, on May 13, two others were booked: Lalit Kumar, a driver and security guard from Sahnewal Kalan, and international shooter Gurnihal Singh Garcha of Model Town, who had represented India and won medals at the Asian and World Championships in 2019.
The accused have been booked under Sections 318 (4) (cheating), 336 (2,3) (forgery), 340 (2) (using forged document or electronic record as genuine), 341 (2) (making or possessing counterfeit seal etc with intent to commit forgery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Despite repeated breakthroughs, the investigation seems to be stalling. When asked about the efforts to trace the mastermind, ACP Sharma admitted, “The FIRs are registered at division number 5 police station, so the investigation and arrests are their responsibility.”
With eight cases in just three months and a high-profile accused already slipping through the cracks, the racket raises uncomfortable questions about the efficacy of firearm licensing checks and the police’s ability to crack down on the fraudsters behind it.
