A 42-year-old man named Manish Poddar was taken into custody on charges of swindling individuals by supplying them with counterfeit certificates from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), according to law enforcement officials on Saturday.
The arrested individual, identified as Manish Poddar, resides in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, said police.
A confectionery store owner lodged a complaint on July 23, asserting that he established a new workshop in Naraina Industrial Area and an outlet in Pitampura. He needed DPCC certificates to operate these establishments. Poddar, who professed familiarity with the DPCC’s procedures, came into contact with the complainant.
He purportedly obtained Rs 2,01,600 (Rs 2.01 lakh) as “fees and consultation charges” before furnishing the complainant with four pollution certificates. However, subsequent investigations revealed these certificates to be counterfeit, stated a senior police official.
Following a tip-off, the police were alerted that the suspect was hiding in Sector 3 of Greater Noida. After pinpointing his exact location, they devised a plan and successfully apprehended Poddar, as affirmed by Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav.
Interrogation of Poddar brought to light that he frequented business associations where he encountered various businesspeople, as well as factory and shop proprietors, who sought swift acquisition of DPCC certificates. Capitalizing on this demand, Poddar portrayed himself as a commission agent and consultant. He proceeded to supply these individuals with fake DPCC certificates, even garnering new clients through referrals, as detailed by the police.
To date, six victims of Poddar’s scheme have been identified by law enforcement. In the course of the investigation, twelve fake DPCC certificates, along with a laptop and two mobile phones employed in the creation of counterfeit documents, were seized from his possession.
Poddar, an engineer with an MBA degree, abandoned his banking position to establish his own firm, which provided sewage treatment facilities to small businesses in Naraina, Delhi, and Udyog Vihar in Gurugram. During this period, he acquired knowledge about pollution certificates and the requisite procedures. Subsequently, he presented himself as an intermediary for DPCC-related tasks, exploiting the situation to defraud unsuspecting victims.(With inputs from PTI)
