Bhopal Emerges As Suspected Fake Certificate Hub, Birth And Death Documents Sold Online For ₹20
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A suspected network generating fake birth and death certificates has surfaced in Bhopal, with BMC officials detecting at least two such certificates every week and the racket allegedly operating around the Collectorate and BMC office. BMC officials said they detect at least two fake certificates on average every week, but genuine certificate holders (whose…
Bhopal, a city in Madhya Pradesh, has become a suspected hub for the circulation of counterfeit birth and death certificates, with these fraudulent documents being sold online for as low as ₹20. The suspected network has been detected by BMC (Bhopal Municipal Corporation) officials, who have identified at least two such certificates being generated weekly. The operation is believed to be centered around the Collectorate and BMC office, with no genuine certificate holders reporting the issue to the police.
The illicit practice reportedly employs software capable of replicating the format and digital signature of BMC's authorized certificates, enabling the production of fake certificates for as little as Rs 20. This method was uncovered during an investigation into a fake passport case, when the Govindpura police sought verification of birth certificates submitted with passport applications.
Following this, another case involving suspected fake death certificates emerged, when an insurance company sought verification of a 20-year-old woman's death certificate from Garam Gaddha area. The certificate was later found to be fraudulent.
Further investigation revealed that these fake certificates carry a replica of the registrar's digital signature, which was compared with the Government of India's official portal, confirming that the fraudulent website was professionally developed. The system did not require supporting documents and issued certificates upon online payment of just Rs 20.
The probe uncovered 30 passports linked to a single address in Dabra's Buddha Vihar Colony and another 39 to a Math in Anna Nagar, Bhopal. These passports, issued between 2021 and 2023, carried birth certificates purportedly issued by BMC. However, the STF (State Technical Force) verification found these certificates to be fake and absent from the municipal records.
Satyaprakash Badgaiya, registrar of the BMC Birth and Death Registration Branch, stated that officials frequently receive certificates that appear genuine but are exposed as fake upon scanning through the official portal. The scandal has been exposed, with sixteen-year-old boy brutally beaten on road and eight booked after the video went viral.
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