Hyderbad-based company booked for selling fake fertilizer to farmers in Maharashtra's Beed

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Police has registered a case against the board of directors of a Hyderabad-based company for allegedly selling fake fertilizers to farmers at Majalgaon in Maharashtra's Beed district, an official said on Saturday.

A man from Washim district in the state, who worked as a vendor of the company was also booked, he said.

According to police, the company did not have the permission to sell fertilizers.

"The Beed District Agricultural Department's quality control team received information that bogus fertilizer was being sold in Majalgaon. Based on this tip-off, the team went to the company's unit in the city and conducted a search," the police official said.

During the search, the team found 338 bags of fertilizer, worth Rs 4 lakh, manufactured by the company, at the centre, he said.

"The sample of the fertilizer was sent to a test laboratory in Aurangabad for analysis. The test report confirmed that the fertilizer was not certified," he said.

Based on the complaint filed by the district quality control inspector, a case was registered against the company representative in Washim and its board of directors under sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Fertilizer (Control) Order in Majalgao city police station.

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According to officials, the company had not obtained permission from the government for the sale of fertilizer. Hence, it cheated the government and the farmers by selling unlicensed and bogus fertilizer, the complaint said.

Following an inspection by district-level quality control team, the Beed district superintendent agriculture officer suspended the licence of the fertilizer company's Majalgaon office.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai-based businessman allegedly received an extortion call from a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang demanding Rs 20 lakh, police said on Saturday.

The Dindoshi police on Friday registered an FIR based on a complaint lodged by the businessman who is a resident of the western suburb of Malad, an official said.

The complainant has stated that he received a call from an unknown number on Thursday night and the caller introduced himself as a member of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, he said.

The caller demanded Rs 20 lakh from the complainant in the name of the jailed gangster, the official said.

A case under section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) has been registered and the police are collecting information about the caller, he added. (PTI)