Anil Kakkar
Sirsa, June 3
A suspected fraud involving pesticides and fertilisers ordered online from a Gujarat-based company has come to light in Sirsa, prompting an investigation by the police and the Agriculture Department.
The state president of Bharatiya Kisan Ekta (BKE), Lakhvinder Singh Aulakh, lodged a complaint at the Kirti Nagar police station, alleging the products delivered to him were different from those advertised online.
Aulakh said he had ordered pesticides and fertilisers after seeing an advertisement on Facebook and paid Rs 14,574 online. The consignment was shipped through a transport company and later reached Sirsa.
However, when he visited the transport office in the Auto Market area to collect the goods, he found that the invoice and transport documents did not mention the products he had ordered. Suspecting irregularities, he approached the police.
Following the complaint, a team comprising police personnel, Agriculture Department officials and BKE representatives inspected the consignment. In the presence of officials, white boxes stored at the transport office were opened. According to officials, the boxes carried no product details on the outside.
During the inspection, officials found pesticide and fertiliser products, including monocrotophos, DDVP, nitrobenzene, chlorpyrifos and sulphur 90 per cent packs. According to the complainant, some products carried manufacturing dates of May 2026 despite being listed among restricted or banned chemicals.
The police subsequently seized the entire consignment and sought a detailed inquiry from the agriculture department. Samples of chlorpyrifos and sulphur 90 per cent were collected for quality testing, while samples of the remaining products were not taken as they are reportedly prohibited for sale.
Aulakh urged the farmers and agricultural input dealers not to purchase pesticides, fertilisers, bio-fertilisers or seeds through online advertisements merely because they were available at lower prices. He also advised rural shopkeepers to remain cautious while dealing with such products. He said the BKE would urge the Centre and the Haryana Government to tighten regulations governing online sales of pesticides and fertilisers to protect the farmers from fraud.
The Police and Agriculture Department officials have initiated further action in the case, while the seized consignment remains in police custody.
