In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh has busted an inter-state gang involved in preparing fake Aadhaar cards and other forged Indian identity documents for foreign nationals, including Bangladeshi, Rohingya, and Nepali citizens.
The gang leader, along with eight key members, has been arrested, while extensive raids and search operations are ongoing across multiple states.
According to ADG Law and Order Amitabh Yash, intelligence inputs had been received over the past few months indicating that certain Common Service Centers (CSCs) registered to generate Aadhaar cards were illegally issuing and modifying Aadhaar credentials. These activities were taking place in districts across Uttar Pradesh, namely Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Mau, Saharanpur, Auraiya, as well as in parts of West Bengal (Murshidabad and Kolkata), Bihar (Lakhisarai and Katihar), and the Delhi-NCR region.
These CSC operators were allegedly using the biometric data (BPN) of eligible individuals or accessing systems remotely to create fake Aadhaar cards for ineligible foreign nationals. These fraudulently obtained Aadhaar cards were subsequently used to acquire Indian passports and avail of government schemes. In many cases, core data such as date of birth and address was illicitly altered.
Following sustained intelligence development using both technical surveillance and field operations, the ATS discovered that the gang operated through middlemen who scouted for foreigners or individuals without valid Indian documents. The gang would then fabricate fake supporting documents such as birth certificates, residence proofs, and affidavits to generate or modify Aadhaar records illegally.
An FIR (No. 09/25) was lodged on August 19, 2025, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code at the ATS Police Station in Lucknow. Subsequent raids conducted across various districts of Uttar Pradesh have led to the arrest of 8 individuals and the seizure of significant quantities of electronic equipment, including fingerprint scanners, laptops, mobile phones, and a large cache of forged Aadhaar cards and other Indian identity documents.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Naseem, Mohammad Shakib, both residents of Mande, Azamgarh, Himanshu Rai, native of Sarshena, Post Chhapra, Mau, Salman Ansari, hailing from Indira Bihar Khora Colony, Ghaziabad, Gaurav Kumar Gautam, of Jua Bidhuna, Auraiya, Rajeev Tiwari, hailing from Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Vishal Kumar of Bhavaav, Post Maltari, Bilariaganj, Azamgarh, and Mrityunjay Gupta, a resident of Madapur, Samaspur, Ghose, Mau.
The ATS will be seeking police remand of the arrested individuals to facilitate further interrogation and to identify and apprehend other members of this nationwide racket.