Fake certificate racket busted in Bashirabad
BASHIRABAD: A racket involving fake certificates and fraudulent Aadhaar corrections came to light in Bashirabad mandal after a victim filed a police complaint.
Fraud at online service centre
Police said an online service centre operating opposite Telangana Grameena Bank in Bashirabad was allegedly issuing fake certificates and carrying out unauthorised Aadhaar name changes. The centre was run by Praveen, a resident of Damarched village in the mandal.
According to police, Praveen offered services such as voter enrolment, Aadhaar corrections and issuance of various certificates, collecting fees ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹3,000 from applicants.
Fake birth certificate exposes scam
The fraud surfaced after Sabhavath Paramesh Chauhan and Savita Chauhan, residents of Manthan Goud Thanda, approached the centre for a birth certificate for their son, Niyan. Praveen allegedly collected ₹1,600 and issued a certificate.
When officials later rejected the document as invalid, Paramesh realised he had been cheated. He then checked Aadhaar cards issued earlier to his relatives through the same centre and found discrepancies. While the new cards showed altered names, the original names continued to appear in the online records.
Following this, Paramesh lodged a complaint at the police station on Tuesday.
Police widen probe
Police took Praveen into custody and began questioning him. During the inquiry, it emerged that Praveen, along with Ashok from Tandur and another unidentified person, had allegedly formed a gang to issue fake certificates.
Police said at least eight people may have received fraudulent documents so far and more cases could surface. “We are verifying how many people were affected and who else was involved. Full details will be shared after the inquiry,” Sub-Inspector Numan Ali said.
