Shillong, Jun 19: West Garo Hills police have dismantled an organised cheating network that used forged documents from the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) to defraud suppliers.
The operation, stemming from a complaint from the GHADC secretary on May 7, 2026, led to the arrest of six individuals hailing from Assam and Haryana, as they attempted to deceive a businessman from Gujarat with a fake work order.
On June 12, 2026, the police detained five suspects at the Greenwood Hotel in Guwahati while they were allegedly planning to defraud a businessman from Gujarat. Additionally, one more suspect was arrested in Tezpur.
The suspects include Narendra Singh (46) of Kamrup district, Dip Hazarika (53) of Guwahati, Kokkal Dutta (58) of Bongaigaon, Taposh Mukherjee (45) of Faridabad, Haryana, Mridupaban Gogoi (40) of Golaghat along with Reeturaj Kaundinya (50) of Tezpur.
Superintendent of Police Abraham T Sangma said during the enquiry, a fake work order and cash of Rs. 50,000 were recovered from the suspects, including a suspected fake Trading by Non-Tribal Licence purportedly issued by GHADC, Tura, in favour of Om Sai Sarees, Surat.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the accused had already cheated a victim out of Rs. 3 lakh and were planning to demand a further 4 per cent commission on a fictitious work order exceeding about Rs. 46 crore.
“The recovery of suspected forged work orders, licences and other documents points towards the existence of an organized criminal network engaged in cheating innocent persons and business establishments by creating and using fake government documents to gain unlawful financial benefits,” the SP said.
A criminal case has been registered at Tura Police Station and further investigation is underway to identify additional members of the network and other potential victims.
The SP has urged all suppliers, contractors and business establishments to verify the authenticity of any work order, tender document or licence directly with the issuing authority before making any payment or committing to a transaction.
Members of the public are advised to report any suspicious offers or demands for advance payment to the nearest police station, outpost, beat house or the Police Control Room, Tura, on +91 88374 23053, +91 70055 30510 or +91 90891 99064.
