{
  "id": 10490722,
  "title": "Fake Birth, Death Certificates For Just ₹20, Suspected Network Surfaces In Bhopal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/fake-birth-death-certificates-for-just-20-suspected-network-surfaces",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T16:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/fake-birth-death-certificates-for-just-20-suspected-network-surfaces-in-bhopal"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: A network generating counterfeit birth and death certificates has come to light in the city, according to officials from the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). Their investigations have revealed that at least two such certificates are generated each week, primarily around the Collectorate and BMC office. The fraudulent certificates can reportedly be produced online for as little as Rs 20 using software that imitates the format and digital signature of the BMC's authorized certificates. The racket was uncovered during an inquiry into a fake passport case when the Govindpura police sought verification of birth certificates accompanying passport applications. A subsequent case involving an insurance company also revealed a fake death certificate for a 20-year-old woman from Garam Gaddha, near Kishore Talkies and the railway station. Upon investigation, officials discovered that the fraudulent certificates contained a replica of the registrar's digital signature, which closely matched the official portal of the Government of India. The fraudulent system did not require supporting documents and only necessitated an online payment of 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 the BMC. However, the certificates were found to be fake and not present in municipal records. Satyaprakash Badgaiya, the registrar of the BMC Birth and Death Registration Branch, stated that officials regularly receive certificates that look genuine but are revealed as fraudulent upon scanning through the official portal.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}