Birth certificate racket: Bogus documents used to register births, deaths

MUMBAI: The investigation into the delayed birth and death certificate racket unearthed a week ago after extensive raids in Malegaon, in Nashik, has revealed that forged identity documents bearing government and municipal seals and signatures had been submitted to process the applications.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies investigating the scam, revealed that fake school-leaving certificates, Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter identity cards and transfer certificates had been submitted to fraudulently get the delayed births or deaths registered.

ED sources said these fake birth and death certificates, amounting to identity fraud, could have been used for various illegal activities, such as securing government benefits, property rights, financial fraud and even illegal immigration. The ED is yet to ascertain the full extent of the fraud. It has not made any arrests so far.

The scam surfaced when tehsildars, or local revenue officials, in various districts in Maharashtra reported that tampered documents had been submitted for the delayed registration of births and deaths. This led to the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) across districts including Akola, Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Latur, Nashik (Rural), Parbhani and Malegaon.

In Malegaon alone, two cases revealed that 3,127 such certificates had been issued between August 2023 and December 2024, pointing to an organised racket involving document forgers, intermediaries and beneficiaries. In some instances, the same individual had applied for multiple birth certificates with differing information, pointing to a systematic attempt to bypass verification protocols.

Based on intelligence inputs, the ED examined the bank accounts of the suspects and agents linked to the racket. The analysis indicated frequent UPI transfers and cash deposits believed to be bribe money. One key agent’s account was reportedly used to collect bribes on behalf of a former official from the Malegaon tehsil. The bribe amounts were quickly dispersed to various individuals suspected to be part of the network.