The police have arrested a 35-year-old man on the charge of cheating several people by forging vehicle insurance certificates.
The accused man, M. Ashkar Ali, a resident of Thayneri in Payyanur, was apprehended along with K. Harshad, a resident of Kanhangad, during a routine police checking. They were travelling in a vehicle with a fake vehicle insurance certificate and were in possession of five grams of Methylenedioxyemethanphetamine (MDMA).
Ashkar Ali, running a private insurance agency, was already under police surveillance following complaints against him. In the raid conducted in his office, the police found indiscriminating fake insurance certificates. The police also seized a printer used to produce the fake certificates.
The police said that they suspected that fake certificates were being produced since 2019 and many were cheated in Pazhyangadi, Wayanad, Charvathur, and Kanhangad.
Though he took the insurance premium from the people, he provided fake certificates without remitting the money in the insurance company, the police said.
Following his arrest, 11 complaints were lodged against him by people. Most of them are either autorickshaw or goods auto drivers.
The police would carry out further inquiries in the case after getting his custody from the court.
