Nagpur/Chandrapur: A Nagpur-based company, M/s Midland Stone Company, is facing serious allegations of fraud after it reportedly forged official documents of the Chandrapur District Mining Office to falsely claim government payments worth over Rs 1.5 crore.
The firm, a supplier of minor minerals to Central Railway, allegedly created a fake letterhead, unauthorised stamp, and even forged the signature of District Mining Officer Suresh Naitam to produce a bogus ‘royalty clearance’ certificate. This certificate was then submitted to the Deputy Chief Engineer, Central Railway, Wardha, as part of the company’s billing documents.
Gold Rate
03 June 2025
The fraudulent activity came to light when the Deputy Engineer’s office sent the documents for verification to the Chandrapur District Mining Office. Upon reviewing them, Officer Naitam immediately flagged the letterhead, signature, stamp, and certificate as counterfeit.
Confirming the forgery, Officer Naitam has now filed a formal police complaint at Ramnagar Police Station in Chandrapur.
How the fraud was executed
According to mining department officials, contractors involved in government construction projects must obtain minor mineral permissions from the district mining office. Once the mineral ownership fee is paid and transportation is authorised, the department issues a royalty clearance certificate—a mandatory document for the contractor to receive pending dues from government agencies.
However, in this case, Midland Stone Company reportedly bypassed the entire legal process, instead fabricating the clearance certificate in order to secure a payment of Rs 1.5 crore from the Railways.
A senior officer from the Mining Department told the media, “The company attempted to deceive a government department using forged documents. This isn’t just a breach of trust—it’s a criminal act aimed at siphoning off public money.”
Investigation underway
The case has now taken a legal turn, and investigations are in full swing to determine who created the forged documents, how they were submitted, and whether any internal officials were complicit.
Police sources say the incident raises concerns not only about document security in public departments but also about potential gaps in the verification process that could be exploited by unscrupulous contractors.
As the inquiry progresses, the spotlight is now firmly on Midland Stone Company, whose future dealings with government agencies may now come under intense scrutiny.
