Payal.DhawanLudhiana: Dehlon police have registered an FIR against three Japanese nationals and their two Indian associates on charges of cheating, theft and cyber offences following a complaint by a Ludhiana-based agricultural equipment manufacturer. The complainant has alleged that the accused misused confidential business information, attempted to patent proprietary designs in India and caused losses through alleged irregularities in imports.The FIR has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating) and 379 (theft) of the IPC, along with sections 66 and 66-C of the Information Technology Act, on the complaint of Jagatjit Singh, owner of Jagatsukh Industries Private Ltd at Alamgir village in Ludhiana.According to the complaint, the accused approached the company in March 2022 for a manufacturing partnership in India. The company manufactures agricultural equipment, including self-propelled boom sprayers. The complainant alleged that the accused assured him of a long-term business relationship and said they had no plans to establish a competing manufacturing facility in India.Trusting these assurances, he allegedly invested heavily in machinery, infrastructure and manpower for the proposed venture. The complainant stated that he also shared sensitive business information with the accused, including machine designs, technical drawings, manufacturing processes, vendor details, costing sheets and other confidential technical data.As per the complaint, both parties entered into an agreement on May 24, 2023. Under the arrangement, the foreign company was to provide technical drawings and specifications, while Jagatsukh Industries would manufacture the machines. The finished products were to be sold in India, with the Ludhiana-based firm receiving manufacturing charges.However, the complainant alleged that on June 26, 2023, barely a month after the agreement was executed, the foreign company established a separate Indian entity. Despite this development, the business relationship continued until Jan 2026.The dispute intensified after the agreement was terminated on Jan 26, 2026. The complainant alleged that the termination took place without any prior notice.The complaint further stated that during multiple visits to the Alamgir manufacturing unit between 2022 and 2023, the accused gained access to confidential business information and allegedly copied or stole critical technical and commercial data.According to the complaint, the information was copied electronically or stored on external devices without authorisation. The complainant alleged that the data was subsequently used to apply for patents in India for several machine components, causing wrongful loss to his company while benefiting the accused.The complaint also raised allegations regarding imports of machine parts. It stated that components were sent to India under Free of Cost (FOC) invoices and declared as materials meant solely for testing purposes. However, the complainant alleged that the parts were later fitted into machines sold in the Indian market. By declaring the goods as testing material, customs duties and taxes were allegedly avoided, resulting in losses to the government exchequer.The complainant further claimed that after objections were raised regarding the practice, a written apology was issued by the company.Police said the FIR was registered following an inquiry conducted by the deputy commissioner of police (investigation), Ludhiana.Second FIRIn a separate case registered on June 11, Dehlon police booked officials of the same Gurugram-based agricultural machinery company on charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy. The case was also based on a complaint by Jagatjit Singh, who alleged that four agricultural machines worth over Rs 61.6 lakh, provided temporarily for demonstration and exhibition purposes, were not returned despite repeated assurances.
