The accused in police custody

SURAT: Police busted a racket with the arrest of two persons who were using fake details and documents along with thumb impressions of unsuspecting people to issue Aadhaar Card in Umargam of Valsad district on Tuesday. The accused persons were making use of an authorized computer and kit together with the thumb impressions of people taken on a rubber like material to issue dubious Aadhaar Card to them.

Vinesh alias Bunty Dhansukh Bhandari, a resident of Umargam, and Karanjeet Singh, a resident of Vapi but native of Patna in Bihar, were produced by the police in a court at Nargol. The court remanded them in police custody till January 6.

Police have recovered two laptops, a fingerprint scanner, GPS devices and cash worth Rs2.64 lakh from the accused. Acting on a specific information, the police raided Bhandari’s office in Hari Residency on Umargam Gandhiwadi GIDC Road and nabbed him. Singh was nabbed from there when he came to deliver a laptop to Bhandari. A laptop was later recovered by the police from Singh’s office in Daman where he was involved in a similar activity, police said.

Police declared Sarthak Borad, Guddu Rai and Viral Pansuriya, who live in different parts of the state, along with Anantram Patel, a resident of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, as wanted.

The accused first made fake PAN card and election identity card using the photo of their customer with fake details. “They made these identity cards by simply taking the colour prints on plastic cards. These fake cards were submitted to get Aadhaar Card,” Valsad superintendent of police Sunil Joshi told TOI.

Police found that the accused used rubber thumb impression stamps. They developed thumb impressions using an adhesive on the stamp, police said, adding that they have recovered two such stamps.

The seized kit includes laptops, a fingerprint scanner and a GPS device which used to be frequently replaced. The laptops had Aadhaar Card application installed in it. In a month, the kit was replaced at least four times, the accused have informed police.

“This is alarming that one can get original Aadhaar Card made using fake details and documents. This looks like a part of a large racket because it is not possible to get the kit without the involvement of authorized persons,” Joshi added.

