The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Lucknow): The Lucknow Police have arrested four officials of the Halal Council of India, based in Mumbai, for their involvement in issuing fraudulent Halal certificates to companies. According to Additional Director General of Police (ADG) of the Lucknow Special Task Force (STF), Amitabh Yash, these officials engaged in malpractices by issuing certificates without conducting necessary sampling or testing of products.
The Halal Council of India, as per the ADG’s statement to ANI, did not perform due diligence, such as sampling, factory visits, or process checks, before issuing these certificates. Instead, they allegedly issued these certifications in exchange for certain amounts of money. Additionally, the Halal Council of India was found to lack any authorization from government agencies to issue such certificates.
Yash pointed out that two companies were misled into believing that obtaining these certifications was essential for their products to be consumed by specific sections of the population. These companies feared losing market share and possibly going out of business without the Halal certification.
The president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary of the Halal Council of India have been arrested in this connection. The ADG noted that these officials failed to provide clear information regarding their income and expenditures, raising questions about the handling of the extorted money. Financial statements are currently being reviewed to ascertain further details.
The Lucknow Police, upon discovering the fraudulent activities of this self-proclaimed certification body, have also gained information about several other similar organizations. Yash stated that they are planning to gather evidence against all such entities and conduct thorough investigations to curb such fraudulent practices.