Raid on Lakhimpur factory: Two booked for making, selling fake fertilisers

The Lakhimpur district agriculture officer (DAO) Arvind Kumar Chaudhary lodged a complaint with the city kotwali police on Saturday, in connection with the recovery of a huge stock of bogus chemical fertilisers from a private factory, in Rajapur industrial area, on Friday evening. In his complaint with the police, Chaudhary named one Ritik Gupta and his father, Manish Gupta, and said that the duo was manufacturing bogus fertilisers and selling them under the brand name of various reputed fertiliser companies.

In his complaint, the DAO further alleged that their act amounted to violation of not only their licence terms and conditions but of the Fertilizer Control Order, 1985 and Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

The DAO said licence-holder Ritik Gupta was entitled only to manufacture micro-nutrients. However, during Friday’s raid conducted under the orders of district magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh, illegal stocks of chemical fertilisers, counterfeit fertilisers, sealing and packing material, lab equipment, empty bags and material to prepare bogus wrappers and labels were recovered from seven godowns and an open shed.

Kotwali in-charge Chandra Shekhar Singh said on the complaint, the first information report was being lodged and investigation would be set up.

On Friday, Kheri DM, Mahendra Bahadur Singh, on a tip off, had deputed SDM Lakhimpur Shriddha Singh, DSP Sandip Singh and DAO Arvind Kumar Chaudhary to inspect Govind Industries in the Rajapur industrial area and submit their report. The officials visited the factory where a notice of factory closure till Nov 21 was found to be pasted at the entrance.

However, when they entered the compound, over two dozen persons were nabbed while packing fertiliser bags.

Following this, DM Mahendra Bahadur Singh ordered sealing of the factory.