Fake Passport Racket Prompts BMC Probe Into Suspected Forged Certificates In Bhopal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After the exposure of a fake passport racket, Bhopal Municipal Corporation is set to begin scrutinising past cases of suspicious birth and death certificates and plans to lodge FIRs wherever forgery is established. The BMC has also sought police action against a broker accused of facilitating the procurement of forged certificates and allegedly creating disturbances at…
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is investigating a suspected forged certificate racket following a recent exposure of a fake passport scheme. The corporation plans to examine past cases of questionable birth and death certificates and intends to file false imprisonment (FIR) charges where forgery is confirmed. They have also requested police action against a broker accused of helping procure forged certificates and disrupting BMC's birth and death registration branch at ISBT.
According to BMC officials, a network of brokers has been under surveillance since the fake passport case. They are reviewing software and applications alleged to be used to create or assist in the creation of fake certificates. Several suspicious cases appear to be linked to certificates forwarded by collector offices years after the original birth or death registration.
The corporation suspects brokers approached authorities posing as relatives of certificate holders. The BMC has requested the police bar alleged brokers from entering the registration premises. The registrar of BMC's birth and death registration branch, Satyaprakash Badgainya, stated that certificates received from the collectorate will be carefully scrutinized.
If any suspicious or forged certificates are discovered, the corporation will request the registration of an FIR. The BMC's July 22, 2025 complaint alleged that a broker, operating under the guise of the RTI Activist Forum (MP), an unregistered organization, collects money from applicants in exchange for fake certificates without proper documentation.
The complaint further alleged that some brokers pressure officials and registrars, abuse employees, create disputes, obstruct official work, and threaten physical harm while illegally entering the registration office. The BMC proposed examining CCTV footage from the ISBT complex where citizens submit birth and death registration applications, as brokers are frequently seen at the counter.
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