D-Mart, one of India’s largest retail chains, reported a counterfeit barcode scam at its Alwar outlet in Rajasthan. Police at the Aravali Vihar station said they have arrested an employee alleged to be at the centre of the scheme.
According to the early findings of the investigation, the employee had been generating counterfeit barcodes and placing them on premium products after removing the original ones. By doing so, the individual allegedly ensured that the items were billed at substantially lower prices, creating false entries in the company’s inventory records. The manipulation allowed the accused to acquire high-value goods for himself or associates at heavily reduced prices, causing what officials described as a financial loss running into millions.
The fraud came to light during D-Mart’s routine stock reconciliation and sales audits, where the management identified discrepancies between inventory records and actual movement of goods.
Police officials said the management had reported “serious irregularities in billing and stock reconciliation” and had highlighted concerns that certain items were consistently recorded at abnormally low prices. The accused is now being interrogated to determine the duration of the malpractice and to establish whether additional employees or external parties were involved. A case has been filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating and forgery.
