HAL police in Bengaluru have intensified their investigation into a Hyderabad-based aerospace components supplier accused of submitting forged test reports for parts supplied to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A programme.

The case was registered following a complaint from HAL alleging that M/s Tec Aero Devices submitted 199 forged test reports covering 172 components supplied to the defence public sector undertaking.

Police team to visit Hyderabad

Investigators said efforts to verify the firm’s address and serve notices have been unsuccessful so far. A police team is now being sent to Hyderabad to locate the company’s actual office and trace its representatives, including the accused chief executive officer.

Based on HAL’s complaint, police have registered a case against M. Sivarama Prasad, CEO of M/s Tec Aero Devices, under sections related to cheating and forgery.

Forged reports discovered during audit

According to HAL, the company had placed 18 purchase orders with the supplier in March 2022. During routine quality checks, officials detected discrepancies in several test reports submitted along with the supplied components.

A subsequent internal audit allegedly found that the reports were issued in the name of Hyderabad-based Axis Inspection Solutions and had been created using the testing agency’s name and signatures without authorisation.

No fake parts used in aircraft

Police officials clarified that only the test certificates were found to be forged and that no counterfeit or defective components were installed in any aircraft.

Authorities also stated that HAL had not made any payments to the supplier for the disputed supplies.

Supplier blacklisted by HAL

Following its internal investigation, HAL removed M/s Tec Aero Devices from its approved supplier list and barred the firm from doing business with the organisation for three years, until March 2027.

The criminal investigation is continuing, with police examining the extent of the alleged forgery and identifying those responsible for the submission of the disputed documents. #HAL #TejasMk1A #BengaluruPolice #DefenceNews #Investigation #newskarnataka