The Ludhiana police registered a case against three Japanese nationals and two other persons for committing a fraud with a city-based agricultural equipment manufacturing firm. They were charged for not returning machinery worth Rs 61.60 lakh to the firm, which was taken for field trials about two years ago.
As per details mentioned in the FIR registered at the Dehlon police station, the booked persons are the representatives of Maruyama Mfg India Private Limited, a Japan-based company working in the agriculture machinery sector with its local office in Gurgaon. They are charged under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The suspects were identified as company’s managing director Munenori Ohta; deputy director Takayuki Saito, company functionary Toshio Kondo, and two managers — Harmeet Singh and Ritwique Das.
The complainant in the case, Jagjit Singh, owner of Ludhiana-based Jagatsukh Industries Private Limited which deals in manufacturing of agricultural, garden sprayers and implements, alleged that the officials of the Japanese firm had contacted their company and expressed desire to build a business partnership to work together for agricultural advancement in Punjab and Haryana.
“As the representatives of the Japanese firm wanted to test our high-value boom spray machines in the field, we, in good faith, provided them machinery along with office space in our manufacturing facility. In 2023, machines were delivered to them with prior conditions that the same had to be returned after trials. Around three years have passed but the firm had failed to return the machines and they are using them for their tasks,” he alleged. Meanwhile, Munenori Ohta, managing director of the Japanese firm, was sent a message for their version but he did not reply.
