Daijiworld Media Network - Yavatmal
Yavatmal, Dec 19: Authorities have launched a detailed investigation after a village with a population of just 1,500 in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district reported a staggering 27,398 delayed birth registrations within a span of three months, raising serious suspicions of large-scale cyber fraud, officials said on Friday.
The irregularity surfaced during a vigilance drive conducted by the health department following a recent state government directive to cancel illegal and delayed birth and death registrations. As part of the exercise, records between September and November were scrutinised.
According to a release issued by the district information officer, officials were shocked to find that the Civil Registration System (CRS) data of Shendursani gram panchayat in Arni taluka showed more than 27,000 delayed birth entries during the three-month period. Given the village’s small population, the figures were deemed impossible and alarming.
The District Health Officer and District Registrar (Births and Deaths) immediately flagged the matter and informed Yavatmal Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Mandar Patki, who subsequently constituted an inquiry committee and ordered a comprehensive probe.
The inquiry revealed that 27,397 out of 27,398 birth records, along with seven death records, did not pertain to the jurisdiction of Shendursani gram panchayat and were highly suspicious. Officials said such a volume of registrations could not have legitimately originated from the village.
The case was forwarded to the Deputy Director of Health Services, Pune, for a technical examination. A state-level login audit reportedly found that the gram panchayat’s CRS ID was mapped to Mumbai, prompting the matter to be escalated to the Office of the Additional Registrar General of India and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Delhi for further scrutiny.
A technical investigation report received on December 11 indicated a strong possibility of cyber fraud, following which a case was registered at the City police station in Yavatmal.
Meanwhile, the District Health Officer and District Registrar have urged all birth and death registrars in the district not to share their CRS IDs, passwords or OTPs with anyone, and to immediately report any suspicious activity to prevent misuse of the system.