In a joint operation, district administration and crime branch sleuths on Tuesday arrested 18 employees of different departments for allegedly running a fake certificate racket at collectorate. The accused were found involved in preparing fake documents including voter identity, ration cards and caste certificates.
On receiving several complaints about touts at collectorate preparing fake documents in connivance with district administration officials, collector Akash Tripathi wrote a letter to Indore DIG Rakesh Gupta and after two weeks of surveillance, the accused were nabbed.
Additional SP Dilip Soni said that after receiving a tip-off from senior officials, a team was constitute to unearth the racket. Those arrested include Ankit Jadhav, Rahul Shinde, Ravi Soni, Monu alias Hemant Jadhav, Vinod Parshuram, Amit Rekwar, Pramod Shankarrao, Gabbar Jadhav and Amar Singh Devalia.
Computer operators Rahul Karnik, Vijay Nigwal, Vikram Chouhan and Sanjay Kannoj were also arrested. Rajesh Shrinivas, who was working as a peon and Gabbar working as lift operator, acted as touts.
“Identity documents prepared without proper verification is a threat to national security as anyone can misuse the necessary papers,” said additional collector Sudhir Kochar adding that accused would be punished while efforts would be made to avoid such incidents in future.
He said that lower-rung employees, including lift operator, peon and computer operators along with touts and officials, mostly contractual, operated the racket for Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. They just needed two coloured photographs of ID seekers to prepare fake identity cards. They also forged digital signature of officials, he added.
The government has outsourced some of the works related to preparation of these documents and private companies have been entrusted with the responsibility for the same. Besides, large number of data entry and contractual operators are working in the district administration.
“We will keep a watch on the employees and put in place a system to check misuse of official machinery,” added Kochar.
Source: indiatimes
