The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has made significant progress in cracking down on fraudulent Halal certificates. Four office bearers of the Halal Council of India (HCI) were arrested on Monday. The individuals arrested were identified as Maulana Habib Yusuf Patel, Zakir Hussain Chauhan, Maulana Muidshir Sapadia, and Mohammad Tahir, all from Mumbai. The arrests come after Uttar Pradesh implemented a complete ban on the production, storage, distribution, and sale of Halal-certified food products in November 2023.
The case against the HCI and three other firms for alleged irregularities in the certification of Halal products was transferred to the Special Task Force from the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. The investigation was initiated based on a complaint filed by Shailendra Kumar Sharma, an office-bearer of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). Sharma alleged that certain companies were obtaining fraudulent Halal certifications to increase their sales among specific communities for monetary gains.
The FIR registered against the accused includes charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as criminal conspiracy, extortion, cheating, forgery, promoting enmity between different groups, and intent to wound religious feelings.
