A sophisticated fraud involving forged government documents has come to light in the city, leaving a local businessman poorer by nearly Rs 80 lakh.
Rajendra Sahu, proprietor of M/s Brilliant Rise Private Limited from Sharala Nagar under Laxmisagar police station limits, has filed a complaint alleging that a Delhi-based company posing as a government-linked Ayurvedic soft drink manufacturer lured him with promises of high profits and official partnerships.
According to the complaint, Sahu’s frequent business trips to Delhi led to an introduction in 2024 to Sanjay Patel, who later connected him with Yash Ahlawat. Ahlawat then introduced him to Amit Singhal, who presented himself as a director of M/s Brinjko Private Limited. Singhal claimed the company’s headquarters were at Pearls Omaxe Tower-1 in Netaji Subhash Place, North-West Delhi, and that it manufactured Ayurvedic energy drinks enjoying strong nationwide demand and government incentives across states.
Lakshmi Kaur, identified as the company’s India head of marketing, allegedly showed multiple documents bearing government logos, official stamps and signatures of central and state authorities to establish the firm’s credentials. Convinced by the papers, Sahu agreed to take the franchise for Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand. Singhal reportedly promised that the company would bear the costs of staff recruitment, warehouse rent and supply chain arrangements.
Sahu first paid ₹10 lakh towards the franchise. In November 2024, he organised a special programme at a star hotel in Bhubaneswar at a cost of several lakhs. Amit Singhal, Lakshmi Kaur and Odisha marketing head Rakesh Sahu addressed more than 50 prospective distributors, showcasing the same government partnership documents and dangling incentives such as iPhones, bikes, cars and watches for higher sales.
Encouraged by the presentation, distributors placed orders worth ₹1-2 lakh each. Two months later, however, Brinjko supplied only a fraction of the ordered stock—and of extremely poor quality. When sales failed and distributors demanded refunds, the company neither returned the money nor supplied further material. Subsequent verification revealed that the government documents were entirely fake.
When confronted, Singhal and Kaur allegedly issued death threats. Sahu also had to spend additional lakhs to clear unpaid dues of the company’s marketing staff. Between the advance payments, hotel event, warehouse rent and other expenses, the total loss mounted to nearly ₹80 lakh. After repeated assurances of refund over the past two years went unfulfilled, Sahu approached Laxmisagar police station. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
The episode underscores how forged official papers continue to be used to build trust and extract large sums from unsuspecting entrepreneurs seeking expansion opportunities.
