Jaipur: In a chilling illustration of how cybercrime can destroy an innocent life, a 34-year-old man from Rajasthan has spent the last six years fighting to prove he is not a criminal—after fraudsters used his stolen identity to carry out cyber frauds worth crores across India.
Sanjeev Kumar Watts, a resident of Ward No. 9 in Srikaranpur town of Sri Ganganagar district, has been named as an accused in dozens of fraud cases nationwide, despite having no involvement in any of them. His only fault: his personal documents were stolen after his email account was hacked.
A Nightmare That Began With a Single Police Visit
Sanjeev’s ordeal began in October 2019, when a police team from Tonk district arrived at his home to question him in a financial fraud case. Believing it to be a routine verification error, he cooperated fully.
Investigators soon discovered that cybercriminals had hacked Sanjeev’s email account, which contained scanned copies of his Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID and other identity documents. These documents were then systematically misused to impersonate him across India.
What appeared to be a single case soon snowballed into a nationwide nightmare.
Fake Firms, Bank Accounts and GST Registrations
Using Sanjeev’s identity, fraudsters allegedly:
- Opened multiple fake companies
- Created bank accounts in different states
- Obtained GST registrations
- Conducted bogus investment, lottery and finance scams
Victims across the country were cheated of crores of rupees. When complaints were filed, the trail of documents invariably pointed to Sanjeev—whose Aadhaar and PAN had been used as the backbone of the fraud network.
Named in Cases Across 33 States and UTs
Over the next six years, FIRs were registered against Sanjeev in nearly 33 states and Union Territories, including:
- Rajasthan
- Kerala
- Bihar
- Uttarakhand
- West Bengal
- Uttar Pradesh
- Jharkhand
- Punjab
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
Police teams from different states repeatedly arrived at his doorstep. Summons, notices and warrants followed, forcing him to travel constantly to police stations and courts to explain that he was a victim—not the perpetrator.
Real Accused Arrested, Yet Harassment Continues
In several cases, police later arrested the actual cyber criminals from locations such as:
- Nuh (Haryana)
- Vijay Mandir (Alwar)
- Pratap Nagar (Jaipur)
Despite these arrests, cases registered in Sanjeev’s name were often not formally closed, forcing him to relive the ordeal repeatedly whenever a new complaint surfaced.
“I Am Treated Like a Criminal Everywhere”
By profession, Sanjeev runs an e-Mitra public service kiosk, but his livelihood has been severely affected. Most of his time is spent responding to police notices, travelling across states, and attending hearings.
He describes a recurring pattern:
first treated as an accused, later believed as a victim—after endless verification.
The prolonged harassment has taken a devastating toll on his mental health, finances, family life and social standing.
Appeals to PMO, CMO and Human Rights Bodies
In desperation, Sanjeev approached multiple authorities, including:
- Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
- Chief Minister’s Office (CMO)
- Ministry of Finance
- State Cyber Cells
- Police Headquarters
- Human Rights Commission
While some cases were closed after inquiry, new FIRs continued to emerge from other states, keeping him trapped in a cycle of legal distress.
At one point, pushed to the brink, Sanjeev even wrote to the Central Vigilance Commission seeking euthanasia, questioning the meaning of Article 21 (Right to Life) if an innocent citizen could not be protected from identity misuse.
FIR Finally Registered, But Battle Far From Over
After years of repeated requests, Sri Ganganagar police have finally registered an FIR acknowledging that Sanjeev’s email account was hacked and his Aadhaar and PAN were misused for large-scale cyber fraud.
Recent investigations have uncovered fraudulent bank accounts opened in his name at:
- Bihar Gramin Bank
- Jharkhand Gramin Bank
- Punjab & Sind Bank
These accounts were allegedly used for GST-linked transactions running into crores of rupees.
While the FIR offers limited relief, Sanjeev believes the real struggle—clearing his name across dozens of states—has only just begun.
A Larger Failure of Identity Protection
Cyber experts say the case exposes a systemic failure in identity verification, inter-state police coordination, and victim protection. Once Aadhaar and PAN are compromised, there is currently no single national mechanism to flag a person as a verified identity-theft victim across all states.
Until such safeguards are built, cases like Sanjeev’s raise troubling questions about how easily an innocent citizen can lose not just money—but freedom, dignity and peace of mind—to cybercrime.
