A Geant4 simulation code for the Indian National Gamma Array (INGA) consisting of 24 Compton suppressed clover high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors has been developed. The calculated properties in the energy range that is of interest for nuclear γ-ray spectroscopy are spectral distributions for various standard radioactive sources, intrinsic peak efficiencies and peak-to-total (P/T) ratios in various configurations such as singles, add-back and Compton suppressed mode. The principle of operation of the detectors in add-back and Compton suppression mode have been reproduced in the simulation. The reliability of the calculation is checked by comparison with the experimental data for various γ-ray energies up to 5 MeV. The comparison between simulation results and experimental data demonstrate the need of incorporating the exact geometry of the clover detectors, Anti-Compton Shield and other surrounding materials in the array to explain the detector response to the γ-ray. Several experimental effects are also investigated. These include the geometrical correction to angular distribution, crosstalk probability and the impact of heavy metal collimators between the target and the array on the P/T ratio.