Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Aug 23: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has dismantled an inter-state racket involved in forging Aadhaar cards for foreign nationals, including Rohingyas, Bangladeshis, and Nepalese, a senior officer said on Friday.
Eight gang members were initially arrested from various locations across Uttar Pradesh, and late Friday evening, two more were apprehended from Saharanpur, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order and STF) Amitabh Yash said.

The gang operated in at least nine states—Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttarakhand—using both electronic and manual methods to forge documents, Mr Yash added.
Gang members, employed temporarily at legal jan seva kendras, illegally obtained IDs, passwords, thumb impressions, and iris scans of authorised users. Using these, they created fake Aadhaar cards, middlemen connecting them with individuals seeking modifications in birth dates or official records. Fake birth certificates, residence proofs, and affidavits were also prepared.
The ADG highlighted that after the 2023 restriction on issuing Aadhaar cards to those above 18 years, the gang circumvented the rule by producing forged certificates showing individuals as minors. Charges for each fake Aadhaar card ranged between Rs 2,000 and Rs 40,000. These were later used to obtain passports, other forged documents, and access government schemes.
Authorities seized numerous electronic devices, fingerprint scanners, iris-scan tools, dummy user profiles, fake stamps, and ready-made Aadhaar cards. The mastermind of the operation is among those arrested.
A case has been registered at the ATS police station in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 152, along with charges of forgery and cheating. Interrogation is ongoing to trace further associates and details of the racket.