LUCKNOW/NOIDA/RAE BARELI: A criminal case was initiated against as many as 40 public distribution shop retailers for violation of IT Act and Aadhaar Act (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other subsidies, benefits and services) by Uttar Pradesh Police in several districts including Noida, Rae Bareli, Allahabad and Varanasi even as UIDAI officials have so far treated it as a case of routine fraud Noida Police has mentioned in the FIR report that, of the 40 booked, the physical address of at least 20 of them are not available.In its initial probe, UP Police has mentioned that while “attempts” were made to reach out to these 20 people to record their statements, none of them turned up till August 29 before the investigation officer in Noida Sector 20.The scam was detected by NIC personnel in Uttar Pradesh while matching records of PDS ration disbursed to beneficiaries in districts as it stumbled on 1.86 lakh fraudulent transactions where impostors replaced Aadhaar number of beneficiaries to withdraw more than 2.2 lakh tonnes of wheat, sugar and rice.This had triggered a state wide alert from UP food commissioner to district magistrates and food officials.In another FIR in Dadri, UP Police found 200 ration cards with one PDS shop owner and misuse of combination of one Aadhaar number and biometric thumb impression which were used to withdraw rice, sugar and wheat.The UP Police also made attempts to reach out to actual beneficiaries and at least five family members mentioned in the ration card to ascertain if the groceries were delivered to them but each query yielded in refusal.The Police have also zeroed in on a group of females involving a past criminal Gita involved in the scam while their antecedents are being verified.The UP Police refused to comment on political affiliations of any of these accused so far.“We have just begun the probe. What is clearly evident is the replacement of Aadhar number of real beneficiary with that of another. We are trying to figure out if the man whose Aadhaar number is used is physically present or his thumb impression is being used by some other way. Both PDS retailers and the impostors are being arrested. We are also trying to find out how the PDS system of government was altered to insert Aadhaar numbers. We cannot comment on any political affiliations yet but no one would be spared,” said senior member of UP Police Nishank Sharma involved in the probe.