Delhi Police busts gang producing fake pesticides, 4 arrested
Jul 18, 2023
New Delhi [India], July 19 : Delhi Police has apprehended four persons and busted a gang involved in the illicit production of fake pesticides.
The raid, conducted by the Special Staff of Outer North District, resulted in the recovery of approximately 3.8 tonnes of fake pesticides, with an estimated value of Rs 3.50 crores, from an illegal unit situated in Pooth Khurd village, Delhi, said a police official.
In this case, the breakthrough came when Paramjeet Singh, an Assistant Manager at True Buddy Consulting Private Limited, provided crucial information to the police on July 11. Singh revealed that the gang was engaged in fabricating fake pesticide products associated with renowned agrotech firms, police said.
Acting swiftly on the provided tip-off, the police raided the specified location and successfully seized a substantial quantity of fake pesticides linked to the aforementioned agrotech companies. The police registered a case under Section 420 IPC and Sections 103/104 of the DP Act at PS Bawana, Delhi. Subsequently, they added sections 467, 468, 471 IPC, and Section 63 of the Copy Right Act during the course of the investigation.
According to the DCP Outer North, Ravi Kumar Singh, on the information and instance of Paramjeet Singh, a raid was conducted at Plot No. 488, Khasra No. 154, Ground Floor, Village Pooth Khurd, Bawana, Delhi where a huge quantity of fake pesticides were recovered.
Further inquiry revealed that the rented premises in Pooth Khurd village, where the counterfeit pesticides were discovered, were under the possession of one of the suspects, Hariom, a resident of Janta Colony, Rohtak, Haryana. Hariom was apprehended and confessed to operating the illegal unit in collaboration with two labourers named Zakir and Kadir, both residents of JJ Colony, Bawana, police said.
Hariom disclosed that he had been engaged in the pesticide business for the past 10-15 years and currently owns a shop near Sabji Mandi in Delhi, where he sells legitimate products from various agrotech companies. For the last six months, he had been involved in the manufacturing of fake products at the Pooth Khurd location and selling them at his shop in Delhi, police added.
Furthermore, based on the information provided by Hariom, a subsequent raid was conducted in Subhash Vihar, Tikri Kalan (Outer District), and Delhi, resulting in the recovery of additional counterfeit pesticide materials. Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Yadav Park Extension in Nangloi, Delhi, who supplied cardboard boxes for packing Hariom's illegal operation, was also apprehended concerning the case.
Currently, the police are continuing their search for other associates, as disclosed by Mukesh Kumar, while Hariom has been remanded to judicial custody.
The police said the investigation is ongoing to dismantle any further links to the counterfeit pesticide manufacturing network.
