Jaunpur | The Jaunpur police have unearthed a major birth certificate forgery network and arrested eight members involved in the racket. The gang operated by stealing login IDs and passwords of government officials across multiple states and used these credentials to illegally generate birth certificates. The alleged kingpin has been identified as Abhishek Gupta, a resident of Lucknow. Officials recovered 500 forged birth certificates, nine Android phones, four laptops, and several stolen login credentials of panchayat-level officers.
According to police, the accused charged ₹600 to ₹1,000 per certificate. The network had reportedly been active for the past 18 months, misusing official credentials belonging to officers in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Stolen IDs Used to Create New Logins; Access Rented Out on Daily Basis
Additional SP (City) said the gang worked with a high level of technical coordination. Their method involved attempting login through passwords similar to those commonly used by panchayat officials. Once successful, they used AnyDesk screen-sharing software to reset the password and take full control of the ID.
The gang then used these hijacked IDs to generate forged birth certificates at will. Investigations revealed that access to these stolen credentials was also rented out for a day, with deals allowing the user to generate up to 100 certificates.
Complaint Triggered Probe—Forgery Exposed During Verification
The racket came to light following a complaint filed on 22 November by Ratan Kumar, a resident of Asbaranpur. He alleged that he had approached Vinay Yadav of Murlipur to obtain his daughter’s birth certificate. When the certificate was sent for verification at the CMO office in Jaunpur, it was found to be fake.
The police investigation revealed that Vinay Yadav was not acting alone but was part of a larger organised gang. On 2 December, the police arrested Vinay along with Ram Bharat Maurya and Shahbaz Hasan. Their interrogation led officers to five more suspects arrested from different locations.
Bengal Resident Shown Born in Maharashtra—Serious Irregularities Confirmed
During the probe, police discovered a striking example of forgery: the gang had issued a certificate for a West Bengal resident, falsely showing his birth location as Maharashtra. This certificate had been generated using a login from Uttar Pradesh’s official digital portal.
The seized 500 forged birth certificates are now being reviewed and forwarded to respective officials for cancellation. Authorities say it is difficult to estimate how widely the certificates were distributed, as the network operated primarily via WhatsApp, with operational hubs in Amroha, while remote access was provided from Lucknow and Bihar.
List of Arrested Accused
- Abhishek Gupta, Prema Vihar Colony, Thana Para, Lucknow (Kingpin)
- Rashid, Khairi, Thana Bisfi, Madhubani (Bihar)
- Ankit Yadav alias Shubham, Tekai, Thana Mohammadabad Gohana, Mau
- Raj Kumar alias Vicky, Haibatpur, Thana Gaur City-02, Gautam Budh Nagar
- Rajiv Kumar, Dangrauli, Thana Hasanpur, Amroha
- Shahbaz, Vijaypurwa, Thana Chakia, Chandauli
- Ram Bharat Maurya, Ramdattpur, Thana Baluwa, Chandauli
- Vinay Yadav, Murlipur, Thana Kerakat, Jaunpur
