Hyderabad: In a significant operation, Hyderabad police uncovered an elaborate fake certificate racket on Thursday, November 14, in Secunderabad’s Patny area, resulting in the arrest of six individuals. The cartel was found to be involved in the illegal production of fake voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, birth certificates, passports, PAN cards, and more.
The group operated from an online service centre named RS Online Service Center, located in Srinath Complex, Patny, Secunderabad. The arrested individuals have been identified as Yelgam Raj Kumar (42), Mohammed Mahboob, 25, Rachamalla Vijayalaxmi, 39, Kurapati Pallavi, 32, Bandi Shankar, 48, and Giriraj Anil Kumar, 27, all of whom are residents of Secunderabad.
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According to preliminary investigations, the cartel has been active since 2015 and has produced approximately 15,000 fake voter IDs, 10,000 Aadhaar cards, 50 passports, 2,000 birth certificates, and 1,500 PAN cards. Police also discovered that they had been using forged signatures of 180 gazetted officers to legitimise their documents.
Yelgam Raj Kumar is identified as the owner of RS Online Service Center and the prime accused in this case. Under his leadership, employees at the service centre created fake certificates ranging from Aadhaar cards to Indian passports on a large scale using software that made them appear legitimate with fraudulent seals and stamps from various gazetted officers without their knowledge.
Roles of arrested individuals in fake certificate racket bust
- Rachamalla Vijayalaxmi and Kurapati Pallavi: Data entry operators at the centre who assisted Raj Kumar in producing fake documents.
- Bandi Shankar: A passport agent who brought clients seeking fake documents, including Aadhaar cards and passports.
- Mohammed Mahboob: A contract worker with Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan who misused his authority to make changes to existing Aadhaar cards and create fake IDs.
- Giriraj Anil Kumar: A licensed computer operator for GHMC Secunderabad who played a key role in producing fake voter IDs for Raj Kumar’s illegal operations.
Evidence seized
The police have seized incriminating materials from the cartel’s operations, including tools used for creating fake IDs and a diary containing records of the fake IDs produced at the online service centre.
This bust highlights the ongoing issue of identity fraud in India and underscores the need for stringent measures to combat such illegal activities. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the cartel’s operations.
