BJP leader's son booked for printing fake NCERT textbooks
The Uttar Pradesh Police has booked a BJP leader's son for printing fake NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbooks worth Rs. 35-50 crore, News18 reported. The accused, Sachin Gupta, is the son of BJP leader Sanjeev Gupta. Twelve people were arrested in the racket so far, while Gupta is still absconding, said Special Task Force (STF) DSP, Brajesh Kumar Singh.
Joint team of Military Intelligence, STF, cops raided the warehouse
A joint team comprising STF, Military intelligence (MI), and cops carried out a raid at a warehouse near Kashigaon in Meerut district, around 2:30 pm on Friday. The operation was based on a previous tip-off by sleuths who had been monitoring the area for anti-national activities before Independence Day. Over 1.5 lakh copies were seized in the raid and six printing machines were confiscated.
BJP vehicles used to transfer books, says report
As a result of the raid, 22 workers (17 men and five women) at the warehouse were apprehended, including the supervisor Shubham (30). The female workers were reportedly let off later, but the male workers were still undergoing interrogation. A report by Times Now has said that the counterfeit material used to be transferred in vehicles with the BJP logo to avoid arousing suspicion.
Officers tried to nab Sachin but he escaped, says DSP
"Shortly after the raid, police officers spoke to Sachin over the phone and he said that he was coming with the papers of books, but did not come later and also switched off his mobile," said STF DSP Singh.
Case filed in Partapur police station under various IPC sections
Sanjay Solanki, the STF sub-inspector, has filed an FIR in the Partapur police station against Sachin, Shubham, and four others under various IPC sections. Apart from the warehouse, the gang also had a printing press at Mohkampur. Sachin is the owner of the warehouse and the printing press, confirmed police. Some wholesale and retail booksellers are also involved in the racket, police said.
Duplicate books published, circulated in several states
The scam was operating out of Meerut, and it was found that the fake NCERT textbooks, mainly of Classes 9-12 mathematics, physics, and chemistry, were being circulated in states like Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Police have confiscated around 364 types of fake textbooks from the Achhonda warehouse. Additionally, they also received information that Gupta was previously involved in printing duplicate UP board textbooks.
Real v/s fake NCERT textbooks: Money matters
Real NCERT textbooks are only printed in Delhi and are available to retailers at a 15% commission upon full payment of the amount in advance. Duplicate textbooks, on the other hand, are offered at a 30% commission and sans any advance payment.
