Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Jun 9: A major scam involving Aadhaar biometric manipulation has rocked the Madhya Pradesh constable recruitment process for 7,411 police posts. The fraud was exposed during the candidate joining phase, two years after the 2023 exam was conducted by the MP Employee Selection Board (MPSEB).
Authorities discovered impersonation where ‘solvers’ took exams on behalf of candidates, aided by officials at Aadhaar updation kiosks who altered fingerprints using a loophole in the system. The scheme, masterminded by Shyam Meena and Amitabh Rawat, charged up to Rs 10 lac per candidate to provide exam solvers and ‘fit’ candidates for physical tests.
Deputy Inspector General Virendra Singh explained that discrepancies arose when biometric verification during joining revealed mismatches between candidate photos and those on their Aadhaar cards. Further probe identified about 30 suspects who had updated their biometrics multiple times days before the exam.
Police investigations revealed a network extending across states, with unauthorized Aadhaar kiosk operators using remote access software to manipulate data. “This was not a technical flaw but a deliberate misuse of the system by rogue operators,” said UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar.
MP police have filed over 20 FIRs and arrested 13 people including candidates, solvers, and kiosk operators. The MPSEB plans to introduce iris recognition technology at exam centers to prevent future fraud.
Sheopur police revealed solvers charged Rs 3 lac per candidate and operated in multiple states including Bihar, MP, and UP. The investigation continues with expectations of more arrests as the full extent of the scam unfolds.
Gwalior SP Dharamveer Yadav called it ‘the tip of the iceberg’ of a sprawling fraud network exploiting biometric authentication systems.
The Madhya Pradesh police have urged UIDAI to restrict unlimited Aadhaar updates and continue probing to safeguard recruitment integrity.