Fake municipal trade license racket unearthed in Assam's Dhubri; FIR lodged over ‘BOOMS BAR’ license

A suspected racket involving the issuance of fake municipal trade licences has come to light in Assam's Dhubri, prompting the Dhubri Municipal Board to lodge an FIR at Dhubri Police Station on August 29.

The matter came to light after municipal officials inspected the trade licence of a commercial establishment named ‘BOOMS BAR’ and found discrepancies in the document. The licence, bearing registration number DOHUA/202425/784391256, showed an issuance date of April 17, 2025.

However, verification with official municipal records found the document to be forged and invalid, according to the complaint filed by the municipal board.

In the complaint submitted to the Officer-in-Charge of Dhubri Sadar Police Station, Kinshuk Raktim Kumar, Executive Officer of the Dhubri Municipal Board, stated that the forged document was suspected to have been generated at a local computer centre allegedly operated by Mohsin Ahmed, son of Abdul Sattar Ahmed, a resident of Ward No. 9, Church Road, Dhubri.

The municipal authorities have requested police to conduct a detailed investigation to establish how the alleged forged licence was created, identify those involved and determine whether the document was used for official or commercial purposes.

The owner of the establishment also submitted a handwritten complaint to the municipal authorities, stating that the trade licence had been obtained online and was identified as fake only during an inspection by municipal officials. The complainant also claimed to have identified the person suspected of generating the document.

According to Sahab Hussain, In-Charge Tax Daroga of Dhubri Municipal Board, municipal employees questioned the suspect at the computer centre regarding the alleged manipulation of the licence. However, the individual reportedly fled the premises during the questioning.

Dhubri Municipal Board Executive Officer Kinshuk Raktim Kumar said the incident could indicate the presence of a larger network involved in fraudulent municipal trade licences in the region.

The municipal authorities have urged business owners to verify their trade licences directly with the Dhubri Municipal Board, particularly establishments that obtained licences through third-party computer centres.

Dhubri Sadar Police have initiated an investigation based on the FIR, with further details expected as the probe progresses.