Mumbai, August 27: The Kandivali police in Mumbai busted a syndicate that issued Aadhaar cards from banks ranging in price from Rs 2,000-5,000 without any government documentation. The investigation revealed that Muslims were given Aadhaar cards with Hindu names.
One suspect was arrested from the Poisar area. This comes after a complaint was filed at the Kandivali police station stating that Aadhaar cards were being issued without proper documentation at Bank of Baroda branch in Kandivali.
Mahendra Mangude of Kandivali was creating Aadhaar cards for roughly Rs. 2,000-5,000 without any verification. Kandivali police station sub-inspector Prakash Ghadge deployed a Muslim to pose as a customer and track down Mahendra.
After extracting Rs 2000 from him, Mahendra brought him to the Bank of Baroda branch. Mohammad Junaid, the Muslim, was then enrolled for an Aadhaar card in the name of Ram Gupta without being asked any questions, and a letter was also issued to that effect.
The police immediately caught Mahendra, and confiscated fake documents and political party rubber stamps from him. During the investigation, he admitted to providing Aadhaar to multiple others in this manner.
“The investigation discovered that the accused Mahendra was producing bogus Aadhaar cards at the Bank of Baroda branch in Kandivali, and a probe is ongoing to find out whether anybody else is connected to the fraud,” said Sadashiv Sawant, Senior Police Inspector, Kandivali.
Police have informed that the accused is a resident of Akurli Road in Kandivali East. The apprehended suspect is currently being rigorously grilled by police. Further investigation is underway.