The last couple of weeks saw Surat make headlines after a series of Aadhaar-related scams were unearthed. The latest? Aadhaar data was being allegedly modified by the men running an unauthorised Aadhaar centre in Pandesera by using a rubber thumb impression of a bank manager. The manager was authorised by the UIDAI to create and edit data on the UIDAI portal.
The data was being allegedly changed for a mere Rs 300. Pandesera Police have arrested two persons on Saturday, 3 February, while another is absconding. According to police sources, the accused have been running the scam for over one-and-a-half years.
The accused – Hiren Prajapati (26) and Prashant Pradhan (20), both residents of Pandesera – were allegedly making the changes without collecting any documents. They were remanded to three days’ police custody by a local court on Sunday.
How Was the Scam Unearthed?
The matter came to light after Bharthana resident and local Congress leader Anup Rajput visited an Aadhaar Card Centre at Kailash Chowk in Pandesara area. He reportedly saw the people running the centre use a rubber thumb impression to authorise changes in Aadhaar card details for a ‘fee’ of Rs 300.
Rajput immediately informed the Pandesara Police, who started an investigation. The police say more people are likely to be involved. The details of the third accused on the run, named Hitesh, are not known.
The accused have been booked under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465, 467, 468, 471 (forgery) of the IPC as well as Sections of the IT Act.
Migrant Workers Beneficiaries of the Scam
Surat is home to lakhs of migrants, most of whom from north India, in dire need of Aadhaar cards. Many of them do not possess any documents.
According to police sources, a lot of minor workers (both boys and girls) need to change their date of birth on their Aadhaar cards. They cannot secure daily wage jobs unless the card shows an age higher than 19.
The centre operated by Prajapati and Paradhan does not have approval from local administration.
Ahmedabad resident Hitesh had allegedly sold Pradhan a pen drive containing all the data needed to run the operation for Rs 6,000. Prajapati worked as an agent and arranged PAN cards, driving licenses and other government identification cards for his clientele.
Bank Manager’s Thumb Impression
The three accused were allegedly using a fake thumb impression of Prashant Mansukh Mordiya, a Syndicate Bank manager to authorise changes in Aadhaar data.
Mordiya was until recently posted in a bank branch in Junagadh district where the ability to edit Aadhaar data was introduced. This access was exploited using a rubber thumb impression of Mordiya, according to the police.
“The probe on the matter is on and Prashant Mordiya is also a prime suspect in the case as it was his thumb impression that was faked, and new evidences are indicating that he might be involved. Until we don’t trace him it will be hard to ascertain the facts,” Vidhi Chaudhuri, DCP Surat, told The Quint.
“We can’t say for sure how many Aadhaar card holders’ details have been changed in the system as of now. Prashant was earlier posted in Junagadh and only recently was transferred to Surat. We have sent a team to Junagadh to check whether similar operations were carried out there. It is possible that he gave his authorisation details to someone or may be someone duplicated his thumb impression at the bank,” the DCP added.
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