India, Aug. 2 -- An operation jointly undertaken by the Indian Army and the Rajasthan police has uncovered an alleged racket responsible for the manufacture and supply of fake Army-pattern combat uniform fabric in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan, bringing back into the limelight the issue of misuse of military uniforms and its national security consequences. More than 1,000 meters of Army-pattern combat uniforms have been seized during raids conducted on July 30 at various shops in the Sriganganagar district. This particular raid was conducted by intelligence branches of the Army in tandem with Rajasthan Police, following weeks of covert investigation into the source of similar counterfeit material seized in Uttar Pradesh in the first half of the year. The development highlights the ongoing challenge for security forces to stop the illegal manufacture and distribution of clothing patterned like military uniforms, which criminals, anti-nationalists, or impersonators may use to their advantage to infiltrate sensitive places. The probe was launched after the Indian Army discovered fake combat fabric in Bareilly in June. The initial forensic and intelligence report revealed that the origin of the fabric was a manufacturer from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan. Based on the information, a covert probe was launched by Army intelligence to trace the manufacturing and distributing network. It was reportedly established that a local company was one of the critical points of the supply chain. Sources linked to the investigations revealed that the company was believed to be dealing in counterfeit Army-style combat fabric which it supplied to retailers not only in the town of Sriganganagar, but also in Lalgarh Jattan, Suratgarh, and adjacent markets.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.