Police in Arang, Raipur district, have registered a case against the operator of a private hospital for allegedly using a forged fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC), after a joint inspection found discrepancies in the document’s date, QR code, inspecting officer details, signature and departmental logo.
The irregularities were detected when officials from the fire department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) examined the hospital’s fire safety records. The management produced a photocopy of the NOC, which carried an issue date of April 16, 2026. However, scanning its QR code or barcode reportedly showed a date from 2025.
Officials also found that the officer named on the certificate had not been posted in the department, according to the report. Questions were further raised about the signature and logo appearing on the document. Verification against government records added to the suspicion that the certificate was not genuine.
The fire department had inspected the hospital premises on July 2 and later issued a notice related to renewal of the NOC before the document was examined in greater detail. A fire department inspector subsequently filed a complaint, following which Arang police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The police investigation is examining who prepared the certificate and whether a computer centre or graphics designer was involved in creating it. The operator has been booked in connection with the alleged use of the document; the investigation will determine the wider circumstances and responsibility.
A district fire official said commercial and medical establishments are required to renew their fire NOCs every year. The official also said similar cases had earlier surfaced in Bilaspur and Ambikapur, where arrests were made, and described the Arang case as the first such instance reported in Raipur district.
Fire safety certification is intended to establish whether a building meets prescribed safety requirements. In hospitals, compliance has particular operational importance because patients and attendants may require assistance during an evacuation or emergency. The investigation into the Arang certificate is continuing.
