ROORKEE: Payment via QR code has revealed that a chaat shop (eatery) on the kanwar yatra route was allegedly misrepresenting the identity of the owner. The incident at Gurukul Narsan, located on the Uttarakhand-Uttar Pradesh border, unfolded on Friday when a group of people stopped at a shop named "Gupta Chaat Bhandar.

" After eating, they made a payment using a QR code, only to find that the amount was credited to one Gulfam, leading to an uproar. The situation escalated, drawing a crowd, and was eventually brought under control by local police. The shop owner, identified as Ashok Kumar Gupta, and his associate Gulfam were taken to police outpost for questioning.According to police, Gupta owns the shop and also operates a nearby counter selling tobacco, cold drinks, chips, etc.

The QR code used at the chaat shop was registered in Gulfam’s name, a former employee of Gupta.An FIR was lodged by police-outpost incharge sub-inspector Hemdutt Bhardwaj under BNS sections 270 (public nuisance), 318(1) (cheating), and 319(1) (cheating by personation). Additional action was taken against Gulfam under BNSS section 270 for disturbing public peace, under which he will be sent to judicial custody.“Anyone found misrepresenting their identity during the Kanwar Mela will face strict legal action,” said SP (rural) SC Suyal.