Registration IDs used to issue birth and death certificates in more than 50 gram panchayats of Amroha district have reportedly become invalid, raising fresh concerns about a possible security breach. The disruption follows the suspected hacking of a panchayat registration ID through which 498 birth certificates were allegedly issued without applications.
Several panchayat secretaries reported receiving unexpected one-time passwords (OTPs) before losing access to their registration accounts.
How Was the Problem Discovered?
The latest irregularities were reported from the Hasanpur and Mandi Dhanaura blocks of Amroha district.
Panchayat secretaries said their registration IDs became inaccessible after they received unexpected OTPs on their registered mobile numbers.
Kamendra Singh, a panchayat secretary in Hasanpur block, said he received OTPs on Saturday. When he subsequently attempted to access the registration system, the IDs of Baseda Khurd, Rampur Bhur and Soharka gram panchayats displayed an invalid status. Singh said he informed the Chief Medical Officer’s office about the problem.
The cause of the disruption has not yet been established.
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What Happened in Mandi Dhanaura?
Rajiv Chaudhary, a panchayat secretary in Mandi Dhanaura block, reported a similar problem. According to Chaudhary, he received OTPs on the nights of October 5, 6 and 7.
Following these messages, the registration IDs of four gram panchayats associated with the Mohanmadipur Patti cluster stopped functioning.
The affected secretaries were unable to access the system using their existing credentials. An official, speaking anonymously, said registration IDs belonging to approximately 50 gram panchayats were displaying an invalid status despite their passwords reportedly remaining unchanged.
The incidents have raised concerns about possible unauthorised access, although officials have not confirmed that the affected accounts were compromised.
How Many Panchayats Are Affected?
Amroha district has 576 gram panchayats that use registration IDs issued by the health department to record births and deaths.
The latest disruption has reportedly affected more than 50 of these panchayats.
The IDs had been functioning normally before the reported incidents.
The unexpected OTP messages and subsequent loss of access have prompted questions about whether the registration credentials were accessed or altered without authorisation.
However, investigators have not established whether the problem resulted from hacking, a technical failure or another cause.
There is also no confirmation that fraudulent certificates were issued through the newly affected registration IDs.
How Is This Linked to the Earlier Fraud?
The latest disruption follows the suspected hacking of the registration ID belonging to Tofapur gram panchayat in the Joya block.
Through that ID, 498 birth certificates were allegedly generated on October 6 and 7 without applications being submitted to the panchayat.
Of these, 270 certificates were issued in the names of individuals from Uttar Pradesh, while the remaining 228 were linked to other states or unspecified locations.
The irregularities came to light on October 12, prompting the health department to block the registration ID and initiate steps to cancel the certificates. The District Magistrate subsequently assigned an investigation to the Chief Development Officer.
The cyber cell also began examining the suspected breach. Although the latest registration failures have occurred after that incident, authorities have not established a direct connection between the two developments.
What Have Officials Said?
Complaints concerning the latest disruption were reportedly brought to the attention of the Chief Medical Officer’s office.
However, officials have not determined why the registration IDs became invalid. District Panchayat Raj Officer Nitin Kumar said his office had not received any written complaint from the panchayat secretaries concerned.
The absence of a confirmed explanation has left the cause of the registration failures unresolved.
Officials have also not established whether any unauthorised birth or death certificates were generated using the affected IDs.
What Happens Next?
The immediate concern is determining why registration credentials across multiple gram panchayats have stopped functioning.
The unexpected OTP messages have raised suspicions of unauthorised access, but the available information does not establish that another cyberattack has occurred.
The earlier Tofapur case remains under investigation, with authorities examining how 498 certificates were generated through a single registration ID. The latest disruption adds to concerns about access to the district’s digital birth and death registration system.
Establishing whether the incidents are connected will depend on the findings of the authorities examining the registration failures and the earlier suspected breach.
The latest disruption in Amroha raises further questions about the security of digital birth and death registration systems. After 498 certificates were allegedly issued through one compromised panchayat ID, more than 50 other registration accounts have reportedly become inaccessible following unexpected OTP messages. While another breach has not been confirmed, the incidents underline the importance of investigating unusual account activity and securing official registration credentials.
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