In a major breakthrough, Sambhal authorities have exposed a nationwide gang and arrested four individuals involved in fraudulent Aadhaar card alterations. The scam was revealed after a fraud case was reported at the Bahjoi police station on March 2, where Chandrasen, a resident of Bahrauli village, accused Vinod, son of Pancham Singh, of deceitfully acquiring a tractor in the name of his terminally ill son. After the son’s death, the tractor was illegally sold to another party. Vinod also forged documents using his father’s identity to secure financial benefits through a policy under the PMJJBY (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana).
Following the complaint, Bahjoi police registered a case and launched an investigation that exposed a widespread scam. The gang, operating across several districts, went door-to-door collecting Aadhaar biometric and demographic data, which they used to make unauthorized changes. Four individuals were arrested from the Badaun and Amroha districts, and several items, including laptops, computer systems, and devices used to capture biometric data, were seized.
थाना बहजोई पुलिस टीम द्वारा आधार सम्बन्धी उपकरणों को मोडिफाई करने व कूट रचित दस्तावेज तैयार कर आधार के मूल डेटाबेस में फर्जी व गैर कानूनी संशोधन करने वाले अर्न्तजनपदीय गिरोह के 04 सदस्यों की गिरफ्तारी के सम्बन्ध में #SPSambhal @Krishan_IPS की बाइट। Part 1.#UPPolice #GoodWorkUPP https://t.co/MZivBZ8z7C pic.twitter.com/wKGHqaMs9z
— SAMBHAL POLICE (@sambhalpolice) April 7, 2025
Authorities seized a wide range of items, including counterfeit rubber fingerprints, copies of iris scans, forged passports, 42 fraudulent birth certificates from 13 states, a tampered fingerprint scanning device, mobile phones, 36 PAN card application forms, 27 forms for fingerprint updates, and over 400 Aadhaar enrollment applications intended for alterations. Additionally, eight passport-sized photographs were recovered.
The criminal group had created a portal that closely resembled the UIDAI web portal using sophisticated coding. This fake site was used by various retailers posing as Aadhaar service centres, allowing them to make unauthorised changes to individuals’ Aadhaar information.
During the investigation of Vinod and the examination of his mobile device, police uncovered two Aadhaar cards registered under the name of Pancham Singh, both using the same Aadhaar number but with different dates of birth—one listed as 1 January 1955 and the other as July 1, 1976. Furthermore, it was found that Pancham Singh’s Aadhaar card was linked to Vinod’s mobile phone.
A review of the update history on the UIDAI website revealed that the date of birth had been deliberately altered to make him appear 21 years younger. When questioned, Vinod admitted to paying Rs 3,000 to facilitate the change, intending to reduce his father’s age to under 50 years in order to qualify for the PMJJBY (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana) scheme.
The gang’s operations began in 2023 when Ashish, who had previously worked in Aadhaar update services, met a man named Kasim. Kasim introduced Ashish to a lucrative opportunity in fake Aadhaar updates, revealing that many people were willing to pay large sums to illegally alter details such as age or address on their Aadhaar cards. Kasim then taught Ashish how to modify fingerprint scanners, allowing individuals to update their Aadhaar details from the comfort of their homes. To carry out this scheme, they tampered with Mantra-brand scanning machines and created a fake website that closely resembled the official Aadhaar portal. Kasim, originally from Wazirabad in the Timarpur Police Station area of New Delhi, was residing in the Nai Basti locality of Naugawan Sadat, Amroha. Ashish from Adoli village, Dharmendra Kumar from Baini Nagla, and Raunak from Nizampur, all from the Ujhani police station area in Badaun district, were also members of this gang involved in making fraudulent modifications to Aadhaar data. Several other individuals are suspected to be connected to the gang, and the police are actively searching for them. The gang also had a member skilled in coding and web design, who developed the fake Aadhaar portal.
