Retired peon nabbed for posing as labour inspector

LUDHIANA: Jarnail Singh (62) of Giaspura — a retired peon from the labour department — has been nabbed on Tuesday evening in Shivpuri for impersonating as a labour inspector. It is alleged that Jarnail had gone to a hosiery unit and demanded Rs 5,000 from the owner. However, the factory owner suspected him, and called friends and ex-councillor of the area, who nabbed him and handed him over to the police.
On Tuesday evening, Jarnail reached a hosiery unit of Amit Goyal in Shivpuri, impersonating as a labour inspector. He told the owner he had information that the unit did not have the licence to run the unit, and demanded Rs 5,000. However, Goyal suspected him to be an imposter. He called up people to find out about the labour inspector. Later, he called up the former area councillor Sat Pal, who said: “On further inquiry, we found out that there was no labour inspector with the name of Jarnail Singh. Then, we pressured the accused who accepted he was not an official.”

Later, the police was called who took the accused into custody. Further, Sat Pal alleged that once the police took the accused into custody, another man claiming to be an additional commissioner in the labour department came, and said Jarnail was an official. Sat Pal suspected there was a gang of miscreants looting hosiery traders in the area posing as officials.

The SHO at Salem Tabri police station, inspector Vijay Kumar said the police had taken the accused into custody. Jarnail confessed he had retired from the labour department as a peon. The official added that the police suspected his involvement in many such cases. He said the police were waiting for the statements of complainants to lodge an FIR.