Maharashtra has formed an SIT led by senior officer Yashasvi Yadav to probe a fake birth certificate racket exploiting the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal in Yavatmal and Jalgaon districts. Forged documents sold via digital means pose risks to national security, IDs, and government schemes
Senior Maharashtra Police officers during a review meeting on the probe into the fake birth certificate racket, at the Yavatmal Police headquarters on Friday. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a serious case involving the creation and circulation of fake birth certificates, registered at Yavatmal City Police Station in Maharashtra.
The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
The SIT will be headed by Yashasvi Yadav, additional director general of police (cyber), Maharashtra. A review meeting was held on Friday to assess the progress of the investigation and outline the future course of action. During the meeting, Yadav noted that birth certificates are foundational documents used for establishing citizenship as well as for obtaining passports, Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards, educational records, and access to various government schemes. The misuse of forged birth certificates, he said, could facilitate anti-national activities, illegal immigration, organised crime, and actions that pose a direct threat to national security.
Preliminary investigation and analysis of digital evidence have revealed that the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal was misused to generate fake birth certificates not only in Yavatmal district but also in Jalgaon. It was also found that forged certificates were created using records linked to Bhavani gram panchayat in Yavatmal and Ratale gram panchayat in Jalgaon. Following these findings, a separate offence has been registered in Jalgaon district.
Police said the accused gained unauthorised access to the government-run CRS portal by misusing login credentials. Personal details such as names, dates of birth, and addresses were collected and used to generate fake birth certificates in exchange for money. These forged certificates were then circulated in digital portable document format (PDF) format.
The investigation has also revealed the use of mobile phones, internet services, social media platforms, and digital payment systems, including unified payments interface (UPI) and digital wallets, to facilitate the racket and collect illegal financial gains.
SIT ordered to trace financial and digital links
Officials said initial evidence indicates that the operation was organised in nature and spread across multiple districts, raising concerns about the existence of a larger inter-district or inter-state network. The SIT has been directed to carry out technical tracing of all accused persons, conduct a detailed financial analysis of bank accounts and digital transactions, and identify the full extent of the conspiracy.
Yadav has instructed investigating agencies to ensure close coordination across cyber, financial, technical, and intelligence units, and made it clear that if the offence is found to have been committed in an organised manner or with intent to compromise national security, strict and uncompromising legal action will be taken against all those involved.
Senior police officers from Yavatmal and Jalgaon, along with officials from the health and statistics departments, were present at the review meeting.
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