13856 - Inside the secret world of Facebook groups offering fake Aadhaar cards - Alt News

Inside the secret world of Facebook groups offering fake Aadhaar cards

By Pooja Chaudhuri
-9th August 2018

“Fake Aadhaar available…Ib [Inbox] for deal,” reads one of the posts on a Facebook group “Help for Friends – Advertising Deals” or as its over 7,000 members call it “HFF”.

HFF is a secret group and does not come up on Facebook search results. You need an invitation to join it.

The group is a close-knit circuit of individuals buying and selling all sorts of things. However, amidst deals violating Facebook’s terms and conditions, we stumbled upon an issue even more grave – people offering to manufacture Aadhaar cards.

In the screenshot below, one of the members can be seen asking others to “inbox” him if they want Aadhaar cards. He claims that the ID proof will be “1001% working”. He also makes a post offering “fake Aadhaar cards for Facebook verification”.



Another member claims that he has at his disposal “many” PDF files of Aadhaar cards. He wishes to know at what price he will be able to sell them. One of the members advertises his stock of 100 Aadhaar cards as “loot loot loot”, selling them for Rs 150 each.



There are also offerings of PAN cards in the group.



The collage below captures several others offering fake Aadhaar cards.



However, this bargain is not one-sided as supply is only created by demand. In the screenshot below, members can be seen willing to purchase fake Aadhaar cards as long as they “look real”.

One of the members also asked for Aadhaar data, which he claimed was “available a few days back.” He wrote, “I am willing to pay good money to anyone who has it.”



There was another Aadhaar related demand that came to our notice – editing. In the screenshot below, one of the members is looking for someone who can edit his date of birth in his Aadhaar card. “Bas real lagna chahiye,” he writes.



We discovered a substantial demand for Aadhaar related editing work for various purposes.



Recently, Alt News published another story about a closed Facebook group that goes by the name “Sharing is Caring – Advertising Deals”. Our detailed report disclosed the inner workings of its 18,000 odd members who regularly buy/sell Facebook pages, Instagram accounts and more.

Help for Friends is more close-knit than Sharing is Caring (SIC) but has a lot of the same members as SIC. Just like in SIC, deals on Facebook pages dedicated to politics, army, girls, actresses and cricket and more are made on HFF too.


Fake Aadhaar card deals on Sharing is Caring

Deals on Fake Aadhar cards are not limited to HFF. We stumbled upon deals related to Aadhaar in the ‘Sharing is Caring’ group as well. The screenshots below are from SIC. If you look closely, some of these names appear in the screenshots of HFF posted earlier in the article.



However, post Alt New’s story, admins of Sharing is Caring seem to have become more vigilant about what sells in the group. One of them posted “new rules as per the need of time”, which now penalise (temporarily ban) members making deals on Aadhaar cards or any government ID proof and fake government offer websites, among others.



There is a reason why groups like SIC and HFF keep their status as closed or secret as the members are well aware that their dealings are often illegal. As this issue comes to light, it becomes pertinent that necessary actions are taken against these groups.

13852 - Fake Aadhaar on Closed Face Book Groups

https://www.thequint.com/news/india/fake-aadhaar-on-closed-facebook-groups

Inside Secret Facebook Groups That Offer Fake Aadhaar Cards
POOJA CHAUDHURI09.08.18
INDIA5 min read


“Fake Aadhaar available…Ib [Inbox] for deal,” reads one of the posts on a Facebook group “Help for Friends – Advertising Deals”, or as its over 7,000 members call it, “HFF”.



HFF is a secret group and does not come up on Facebook search results. You need an invitation to join it.

Don’t fall for fake news, click here to check out The Quint’s WebQoof stories.


Also Read: Inadvertently Coded Aadhaar Number Into Android, Sorry: Google

The group is a close-knit circuit of individuals buying and selling all sorts of things. However, amidst deals violating Facebook’s terms and conditions, we stumbled upon an issue even graver – people offering to manufacture Aadhaar cards.

In the screenshot below, one of the members can be seen asking others to “inbox” him if they want Aadhaar cards. He claims that the ID proof will be “1001% working”. He also makes a post offering “fake Aadhaar cards for Facebook verification”.



Another member claims that he has at his disposal “many” PDF files of Aadhaar cards. He wishes to know at what price he will be able to sell them. One of the members advertises his stock of 100 Aadhaar cards as “loot loot loot”, selling them for Rs 150 each.



There are also offerings of PAN cards in the group.



Also Read: Aadhaar Helpline: What Google Didn’t Answer but Needs to


The collage below captures several others offering fake Aadhaar cards.



However, this bargain is not one-sided, as supply is only created by demand. In the screenshot below, members can be seen willing to purchase fake Aadhaar cards as long as they “look real”.



One of the members also asked for Aadhaar data, which he claimed was “available a few days back.” He wrote, “I am willing to pay good money to anyone who has it.”



There was another Aadhaar-related demand that came to our notice – editing. In the screenshot below, one of the members is looking for someone who can edit his date of birth in his Aadhaar card. “Bas real lagna chahiye,” he writes.



Also Read: “I Have Not Lost” & 9 Aadhaar Claims that RS Sharma Should Explain


We discovered a substantial demand for Aadhaar-related editing work for various purposes.



Recently, Alt News published another story about a closed Facebook group that goes by the name “Sharing is Caring – Advertising Deals”. Our detailed report disclosed the inner workings of its 18,000-odd members who regularly buy/sell Facebook pages, Instagram accounts and more.

Help for Friends is more close-knit than Sharing is Caring (SIC) but has a lot of the same members as SIC. Just like in SIC, deals on Facebook pages dedicated to politics, army, girls, actresses and cricket and more are made on HFF too.


Fake Aadhaar Card Deals On Sharing Is Caring


Deals on fake Aadhar cards are not limited to HFF. We stumbled upon deals related to Aadhaar in the SIC group too. The screenshots below are from SIC. If you look closely, some of these names appear in the screenshots of HFF posted earlier in the article.



However, post Alt News’ story, the admins of Sharing is Caring seem to have become more vigilant about what sells in the group. One of them posted “new rules as per the need of time”, which now penalise (temporarily ban) members making deals on Aadhaar cards or any government ID proof and fake government offer websites, among others.



There is a reason why groups like SIC and HFF keep their status closed or secret, as the members are well aware that their dealings are often illegal. As this issue comes to light, it becomes pertinent that necessary actions are taken against these groups.


(This article was first published on AltNews and has been republished with permission.)


(Not convinced of a story you came across on social media and want it verified? Send us the details at WebQoof@TheQuint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)


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13835 - Bangladeshi held at KIA with Indian passport - Indian Express

Bangladeshi held at KIA with Indian passport

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

AUGUST 04, 2018 20:37 IST

UPDATED: AUGUST 04, 2018 20:37 IST

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Officials at KIA were alerted by his accent and distinctive use of Hindi and Bengali — in keeping with the way it is spoken in Bangladesh.   | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

He had procured Aadhaar, PAN and voter ID card through an agent in Bengaluru

Immigration officials at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) caught a 24-year-old man, allegedly an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, who was trying to board a flight to Dubai, UAE on an Indian passport on Thursday. It was his accent and distinctive use of Hindi and Bengali — in keeping with the way it is spoken in Bangladesh — that caught the attention of officials.

The accused, Iqbal Hussain Ripon,hails from Habiganj district in Bangladesh. Besides an Indian passport, he had an Aadhaar card and a voter identity card.

An immigration official said, “This is a cause for concern given that he used forged documents to get a passport and other documents that validate his Indian citizenship.”

Iqbal had submitted the documents at the immigration counter on Thursday morning. He was flying to Dubai on a labour visa. While casually chatting with him in a mix of Bengali and Hindi, immigration officer Ravi K. Nair noticed something odd in the way he used certain words.

“Though West Bengal residents and Bangladeshi nationals speak the same language, there is a slight difference in the dialect and the way they speak it,” said an official in the Bureau of Immigration.

Acting on a hunch, officials detained Iqbal for further questioning. He allegedly confessed that he crossed the border into India through Bongon in West Bengal illegally a year-and-a-half-ago. He stayed there for six months before moving to Bengaluru in 2017 with a group of labourers. He found work as a construction labourer and has been living at BEML Layout in Basaveshwara Nagar for a year.

Bought documents for Rs. 80,000

Iqbal told officials that while in Bengaluru, he came in contact with a man named Sujith Saha who promised to get him identity documents for a fee of Rs. 80,000. He arranged the money, and paid Saha in exchange for a voter ID, Aadhaar and PAN card in the name of Iqbal Sheikh. With these documents, he applied for a passport and was also able to get a job as a labourer in Dubai.

The police are on the lookout for Saha who they suspect of providing similar documents to other illegal immigrants as well.

The Bureau of Immigration handed over Iqbal to the jurisdictional airport police, who have registered a case against him. He has been charged with cheating and forgery, and also under various sections of the Passport Act.

“We are working with the authorities in Delhi to cross-check Iqbal’s story and to get more information from our counterparts in Bangladesh,” said a senior police officer.

13614 - 98 nabbed with fake Aadhaar cards in Manipur - Business Standard

98 nabbed with fake Aadhaar cards in Manipur

IANS  |  Imphal 

Last Updated at May 27, 2018 17:30 IST

Manipur Police on Sunday rounded up 98 suspected foreigners with fake Aadhaar cards from the heart of Imphal city during an identification drive, officials said.

A police statement said that the raids were conducted in the early hours in two residential areas at Naga Mapal here. The suspects were found staying in rented houses.

Police said they had intensified identification of outsiders in and around Imphal on the orders of Home Minister N. Biren Singh.

Director General of Police L.M. Khaute said that all vehicles reaching Imphal from Assam, Nagaland and Moreh, the border town, are thoroughly checked to identify the non-local passengers.

Police said that fake Aadhaar and other documents are printed at two places outside Manipur for supplying to those who plan to enter Manipur.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that it was most surprising that Rohingyas were found staying at Hatta in the heart of Imphal. He said nearly 40 foreigners who were nabbed at different places are now in prison.

--IANS

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Sun, May 27 2018. 17:24 IST

13576 - Andheri man held for issuing fake Aadhaar cards - Hindustan Times

Andheri man held for issuing fake Aadhaar cards

Shaikh used equipment including a biometric scanning device to get the Aadhaar cards made.

MUMBAI Updated: May 19, 2018 23:34 Ist

Farhan Shaikh  Hindustan Times

The accused created and sold Aadhaar cards for ₹1,200(HT Photo)

Police have arrested a 23-year-old man from Andheri for creating counterfeit Aadhaar cards which he sold for ₹1,200.

Abdul Wahab Shaikh worked out of a small shop in Andheri (West) where he made Pan cards for people and eventually progressed to Aadhaar cards.

A constable attached with the DN Nagar police received a tip-off regarding the accused after which the police raided Shaikh’s shop on Friday evening and took him into custody.

The accused used to charge ₹1,200 to issue the Aadhaar card, the police told the court. They also found details including the Aadhaar numbers of the batch of cards that Shaikh had made recently.

Shaikh used equipment including a biometric scanning device to get the Aadhaar cards made. He told the investigating officials that he did not require the necessary documents ideally required to create a fake Aadhaar card.

Shaikh was produced before an Andheri metropolitan court on Saturday after he was booked for cheating under Indian Penal Code. The court has remanded him in police custody till May 21.

“We will contact the UIDAI after which it will be clear how many Aadhaar cards he made. The UIDAI will help us pinpoint how his modus operandi worked,” said P Ganame, senior inspector at DN Nagar police station.

This is not the first incident where the Mumbai police have cracked down on fake Aadhaar card creators. In February, the crime branch arrested two persons aged 29 and 24 for creating fake Aadhaar cards which they sold for ₹2,000 each.

13575 - Woman fakes NRC data - Telegraph India

Woman fakes NRC data

Mukesh Kumar Singh May 19, 2018 00:00 IST

Dhubri: Dhubri police on Thursday arrested a woman from on charges of using fake legacy data of others and hiding her original identity.

Aisha Bibi, wife of Samsul Houqe, claimed to be a resident of Dighaltari village under Agomoni police station, and tried to include her name in National Register of Citizens (NRC) by using the legacy data of Fazal Ali Seikh, a resident of Powercharra village, and saying he was her father.

Fazal Ali Seikh had received a notice for verification of his family tree from the NRC centre located at Satrasal. Seikh refused to identify her at the NRC centre on Thursday.

NRC officials then conducted an investigation. Senior NRC official Baharul Islam, including the circle officer of Agomoni S. Gharphalia and Agomoni police SHO Dipak Das began the investigation.

Finally, Aisha Khatun confessed to being a Hindu girl and a resident of Jaipur in Rajasthan. She confessed that her original name was Bhagirathi Saini, the daughter of Shankar Lal Saini, a resident of Rambag near Birla Mandir of Jaipur. She got married to Samsul Houqe six years ago during his stay at a worker in Rajasthan.

She had also obtained an Aadhaar card and other documents with her fake identity.

"We had registered a case bearing number 122/2018 under relevant sections of IPC. We also arrested the accused woman on the spot based on the complaint lodged by the NRC centre in-charge, Kantaram Rohenge," said the officer in-charge of Agomoni police station.

13546 - Nine immigrants held with forged documents Aadhaar card holders too need verification : CM - Sangai Express

Nine immigrants held with forged documents Aadhaar card holders too need verification : CM

By Our Staff Reporter

IMPHAL, May 14 : Following the arrest of nine illegal immigrants with forged documents, Chief Minister N Biren has asserted that there is a need for verification of all non-locals living in the State including those who possess Aadhaar cards.
Briefing media persons at the Cabinet Hall this afternoon, Biren said that large scale illegal immigration would have serious impacts on the indigenous people of Manipur whose total population is quite small.
What have been witnessed recently at Moreh and Jiribam are matters of serious concern and there is a growing need to verify all non-local people even if they possess Aadhaar cards.
Checking illegal immigration can be left to the Government alone. The Government has been doing what it must. Still it needs cooperation of civil society organisations, landlords and transporters to check illegal immigration into the State, Biren said.
As direct flights between Imphal and New Delhi has been already launched, there is a possibility of illegal immigrants flying to different parts of the country from Imphal and vice-versa. As such, a police team would be deployed at Imphal airport from tomorrow, Biren said who is also in charge of Home Department.
Generation of Aadhaar cards outsourced to Common Service Centres would be cancelled with immediate effect. The Government would issue an order to this effect, he said.
On being enquired about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the Chief Minister maintained that the Bill is restricted to Assam alone. For Manipur, the Government would work to pass Manipur People’s Protection Bill and a committee has been already constituted in this regard.
The Government would hold a meeting with the JCILPS on May 19.
In connection with the Assam’s National Register of Citizens, the Government of Assam sent a list of 17,000 people for verification and the State Government has sent a list of 7000 people after verification, informed the Chief Minister.
Chief Secretary Dr J Suresh Babu, DGP LM Khaute and many top ranking police officers were also present at the press meet.
Acting on a specific tip off, Tengnoupal District Police checked an Eeco van and a Maruti van heading towards Imphal from Tamu, Myanmar at Moreh yesterday.
Ten passengers were found in the two vehicles. While eight of them possessed Indian Aadhaar cards, two of them had Indian voter ID cards.
Out of them, nine were found to be illegal immigrants who did not possess valid documents.
They have been identified as Ye Lim That alias Md Ameen (26) s/o Abdul Zalil from Yangon State, Myanmar, Kyam Zin Ko alias Md Safi (23) s/o Kabir Ahmad from Yangon, Wana Thin Soe alias Obaydullah (24) s/o Ali Ahamad from Yangon, Phyo Wai Ning alias Husman s/o Mohammed Rafiq from Yangon, Myin Khant alias Md Hussain (18) s/o Rahumatullah from Yangon, Mrs Meiyemya alias Rabia Begum (49) d/o Sheik Maideen from Yangon, Mrs Masai Yi alias Zumabi (51) d/o Sheik Maideen from Yangon, Mrs Ni Ni Sin alias Nesha (62) d/o Md Yashim from Yangon and Mrs Phyu Phyu Win alias Zarina Begum (46) w/o Tar Ka Ta from Yangon.
The remaining one was found to be an Indian and was identified as Mrs Paritha Begum (60) w/o Mohammed Mohideen from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Out of the 10, three were found to be traffickers and they are Ni Ni Sin alias Nesha, Phyu Phyu Win alias Zarina Begum and Paritha Begum.
On further enquiry, it was learnt that Aadhaar cards of seven illegal immigrants were prepared by one Md Tomba alias Inaocha (25) s/o Md Abdul Hakim of Muslim Nagar, Labuk Leikai, Moreh Ward No 5 in collusion with one Gopal Krishna (36) s/o late Laxman of Moreh Ward No 5, near Gate No 2.
Gopal Krishna is proprietor of GS Computer who has been doing the business of online ticketing and he arranged train tickets for all the ten persons for going to Chennai.
Both Md Tomba alias Inaocha and Shri Gopal Krishna have been arrested.
A police team raided the house of Md Tomba alias Inaocha and seized two laptops, four Aadhaar cards of four different persons, one printer machine, one laminating machine etc.
The team also raided the online ticketing counter cum home of Gopal Krishna and seized several items.
Incidentally, one Nongthombam Argentina alias Pinky was arrested by Jiribam Police from Jiribam Babupara along with 85 Aadhaar cards on March 25 this year.

  BREAKING NEWS, Featured

Nine immigrants held with forged documents Aadhaar card holders too need verification : CM added by thesangaiexpress on May 15, 2018
View all posts by thesangaiexpress →

13128 - UIDAI servers or third parties, Aadhaar leaks are dangerous: Experts - Business Standard

UIDAI servers or third parties, Aadhaar leaks are dangerous: Experts

Even though the UIDAI has denied these reports, its arguments rest on shaky grounds, according to experts

Mayank Jain  |  New Delhi 

Last Updated at March 27, 2018 00:33 IST

                            Illustration: Binay Sinha

• ALSO READ
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The government has told the Supreme Court that the Aadhaar data “remains safely behind 13-feet high walls” and it will take “the age of the universe” to break one key in the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI’s) encryption.

Even if this claim is taken at face value, experts suggest leaks from third-party databases seeded with Aadhaar numbers are equally dangerous and the UIDAI is responsible for the damage.

The most recent case came from a report published online and it said random numbers could provide access to the Aadhaar data, which also includes people’s financial information, from a state-owned company’s database.

Even though the UIDAI has denied these reports, its arguments rest on shaky grounds, according to experts.

“There is no truth in this story as there has been absolutely no breach of the UIDAI’s Aadhaar database. Aadhaar remains safe and secure,” the UIDAI said on Twitter shortly after the story broke on ZDNet.

The authority added even if the report was taken to be true, “it would raise security concerns on the database of that Utility Company and has nothing to do with the security of the UIDAI’s Aadhaar database”.

This has been the authority’s defence in several such cases but those in the know of things say it doesn’t hold water simply because the Aadhaar data is not concentrated in the UIDAI’s complexes anymore and has spread across various databases.

“Publishing this by the state entities is a violation under the Aadhaar Act. Even if you publish your Aadhaar number, it is a violation of the law,” said Pranesh Prakash, policy director at the Centre for Internet and Society.

“Saying that the UIDAI has not been compromised is thoroughly insufficient because for customers, it doesn’t matter if the leak comes from servers operated by the UIDAI or from others holding copies of the UIDAI database.”

Prakash said it should be the authority’s responsibility to help others comply with the law and prevent data leaks. He gave the example of biometric leaks from Gujarat government servers and how criminals used them to forge fingerprints.

The possibility of data leaks was demonstrated when Robert Baptiste, purportedly a French app developer, announced on Twitter how he got access to thousands of scanned Aadhaar card copies through simple Google searches.

In an interview to Business Standard, Baptiste said the major threat was data handling by third parties, which could lead to identity theft.

Even the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, has provisions that debar making public citizens’ Aadhaar-related information public unless required for certain purposes.

“Whoever intentionally discloses, transmits, copies or otherwise disseminates any identity information collected in the course of enrolment or authentication to any person not authorised under this Act” can be in jail for three years and pay a fine of ~10,000 under the Act.

A lawyer appearing on the petitioners’ side in the ongoing Supreme Court case on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar said only the UIDAI had the powers to file cases against people who published Aadhaar information. Hence everyone else is helpless despite the leaks.

The UIDAI’s argument that Aadhaar information can’t be misused is duplicitous because the regulations under the Aadhaar Act assure individuals that if biometric authentication fails, they should have other means of identifying themselves, says Kiran Jonnalagadda, founder of HasGeek.

“So the regulations guarantee that anyone in possession of stolen identity information will be able to misuse it without biometric authentication,” he said.

Prakash agreed with this. He said demographic authentication, which is an acceptable authentication method under the Aadhaar Act, was prone to misuse as long as Aadhaar numbers remained public.

“Aadhaar is used as just a piece of paper, unlike security features embedded in passports or even permanent account number cards. Thus, demographic authentication merely involves providing Aadhaar numbers and details like addresses, which can be used even for things like getting entry into an airport by just printing a ticket and having a fake Aadhaar,” he said.

Queries sent to the UIDAI were not answered till the time of going to press

First Published: Tue, March 27 2018. 00:31 IST

12803 - ‘Accused made hundreds of fake Aadhaar, PAN cards - The Hindu

‘Accused made hundreds of fake Aadhaar, PAN cards

Gautam S. Mengle

FEBRUARY 14, 2018 00:40 IST

Police say racket was on since 2015 with help from agents who help people apply for govt.-issued identity cards

Mumbai: The two men arrested last week in a fake documents racket are suspected to have put hundreds of fake Aadhar and PAN cards into circulation, Crime Branch officers said on Tuesday.

On February 9, the Crime Branch’s Unit II had arrested Sunil Chaudhari (35) and Attaullah Abdul Malik (25) for allegedly selling forged documents including driving licenses, Aadhaar, PAN and voter identity cards.

Police also recovered hundreds of blank cards from the accused’s office in Masjid Bunder. The duo claimed the racket was operational since 2015. It is suspected that the accused were involved in a card-cloning racket as well, as some blank debit cards were seized from their office during the search.

Police said Mr. Chaudhari and Mr. Malik were working in collaboration with agents who help in obtaining government identification documents. The accused would produce fake documents as per requirement, using scanned copies of genuine documents.

They said the duo would sell up to 15 such documents daily. A Crime Branch officer said the forgery wasn’t easily detectable. “They’d be rejected at government offices, but could be used to apply for services like SIM cards, employment in small businesses and renting property in slum pockets. The racket’s success was due to people not insisting on cross-verifying photocopies with originals.”

Mr. Chaudhari was the alleged mastermind, police said, adding he had been arrested for a similar offence in 2011. After obtaining bail in the case, he opened the office in Masjid Bunder and started the racket with Mr. Malik, whose records are being checked.

The police is also working on identifying and apprehending the agents who collaborated with the accused. At least 10 such agents located across the city are suspected to have been involved.

12944 - Shop making fake Aadhar cards &driving licences raided, 2 held - TNN

Shop making fake Aadhar cards &driving licences raided, 2 held

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Feb 11, 2018, 04:15 IST

MUMBAI: The crime branch of the city police found dozens of fake documents—Aadhaar cards, election cards, PAN cards, driving licence and vehicle smart cards—in a raid on a shop in Masjid Bunder on Friday. Two men, Sunil Chaudhry, 35 and Ataullah Malik, 25 have been arrested from the shop, Sunil Enterprises. 

The police said fake Aadhaar cards were being sold for Rs 2,000. "We are interrogating them," said Dilip Sawant, DCP (crime branch). The police found 71 PAN cards with different names, four smart card driving licences, six election cards and 10 Aadhar cards. Besides, 234 blank smart card driving licences and four blank ATM cards of different banks, 27 blank Aadhar cards, 10 stamp papers were seized "We will find out if those in whose name the documents were made are involved. We will summon each of them. This is a serious offence," said a police officer.

12676 - Aadhaar forger in net - Telegraph India

Aadhaar forger in net

Our Special Correspondent Jan 10, 2018 00:00 IST

Ranchi: A 24-year-old man who was selling fake Aadhaar cards for Rs 100 from an improvised workstation on wheels on the civil court premises here was arrested on Tuesday, exposing the vulnerability of the unique ID that is currently embroiled in a national debate over data leak.

An FIR had not been lodged against Abhijeet Kumar, a resident of Govindpur, Dhanbad,till the filing of this report in the evening. He was being questioned at Kotwali police station on an accomplice who managed to flee during the raid and others that might be involved in the scam.

Ranchi SDO A.K. Satyajit, who led the crackdown, said they had received a tip-off about this van that was both issuing and updating Aadhaar cards, besides other government documents such as PAN card and ration card. "The van was equipped with a printer, a scanner and a laminating machine. A banner outside listed the services being provided for a nominal fee," the SDO said.

District project officer of Unique Identification Authority of India Sameer Sagar said the UIDAI had authorised only agencies, not individuals, to rectify Aadhaar cards. "These two men were running a con business. We are probing the modus operandi in details," Sagar said.

Kotwali OC S.N. Mandal said the formality of lodging an FIR was under process.

12354 - Fake Aadhaar card racket kingpin nabbed - Indian Express

Fake Aadhaar card racket kingpin nabbed

On September 10, the STF had busted the gang which used to make fake Aadhaar cards with the arrest of its 10 members.

The gang used their own fingerprints and retina scans on the fake Aadhaar cards.

The mastermind of a gang which made fake Aadhaar cards has been arrested by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force here, officials said on Wednesday, reports PTI.

Durgesh Kumar Mishra, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was arrested on Tuesday. He was the mastermind behind the gang involved in preparing Aadhaar cards by cloning finger prints to bypass Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) norms, a senior STF official said.

During interrogation, Mishra told the STF that he was an assistant manager in a private firm authorised by the UIDAI and provided the technique for preparing fake fingerprints and tampering client software to Saurabh Singh who was arrested earlier in Kanpur.

On September 10, the STF had busted the gang which used to make fake Aadhaar cards with the arrest of its 10 members.

“The gang used their own fingerprints and retina scans on the fake Aadhaar cards. They resorted to this method to complete the biometric parameters,” the official said.

During the raid in Kanpur, the STF had seized papers with fake fingerprints, and finger and retina scanners. The STF had swung into action after a senior UIDAI official lodged a police complaint in Lucknow, the STF official said.

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12336 - Mastermind of fake Aadhaar card racket held - Outlook India

Mastermind of fake Aadhaar card racket held

    

Lucknow, Nov 8 The mastermind of a gang which made fake Aadhaar cards has been arrested by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force here, officials said today.

Durgesh Kumar Mishra, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was arrested yesterday. He was the mastermind behind the gang involved in preparing Aadhaar cards by cloning finger prints to bypass Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) norms, a senior STF official said.

During interrogation, Mishra told the STF that he was an assistant manager in a private firm authorised by the UIDAI and provided the technique for preparing fake fingerprints and tampering client software to Saurabh Singh who was arrested earlier in Kanpur.

On September 10, the STF had busted the gang which used to make fake Aadhaar cards with the arrest of its 10 members.

"The gang used their own fingerprints and retina scans on the fake Aadhaar cards. They resorted to this method to complete the biometric parameters," the official said.

During the raid in Kanpur, the STF had seized papers with fake fingerprints, and finger and retina scanners.

The STF had swung into action after a senior UIDAI official lodged a police complaint in Lucknow, the STF official said.

12030 - Police bust UP gang for cloning fingerprints of Aadhaar operators - Money Control

Sep 12, 2017 02:08 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Police bust UP gang for cloning fingerprints of Aadhaar operators

The incident once again highlights vulnerabilities in the Union government's identity project.

Moneycontrol News

The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday busted a gang from Lucknow for allegedly stealing fingerprints of Aadhaar enrolment operators.

The gang cloned fingerprints of operators to access nodal body Unique Identification Authority of India's data in order to create fake Aadhaar cards, according to multiple media reports. Apart from the fingerprints, the gang also managed to devise a way to bypass retina scanning.

The arrests have been made in connection with an FIR filed by the UIDAI on August 16 this year.

The incident once again highlights vulnerabilities in the Union government's identity project.

UIDAI had initially introduced fingerprint security for Aadhaar. However, when hackers started cloning fingerprints, the iris scanner was introduced as a part of the authentication process.

With hackers creating a system to bypass this second layer of security as well, the police have decided to conduct a "security audit" of the enrollment process.

As per the current system, while enrolling a new user, an authorised operator accesses the system using fingerprints and retina scan.

In this case, the accused used images of fingerprints of operators and printed them on butter paper. These were then placed on a sheet of light-sensitive resin and exposed to ultra-violet light. These, at the end, looked like a rubber stamp that were pressed down on a biometric machine.

The hackers then developed a software to bypass the retina scan.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology official told India Legal that that while Aadhaar is a social revolution, India needs a cyber security system to protect its data.

"As things stand now, there are too many holes in the security set up which are being exploited by hackers. We have to prepare ourselves for a flood of cyber-related crime once the linkage happens. To make matters worse, no one is clear about the volume of Aadhaar data that has already been stolen or accessed by the wrong people,” the official said.

Security concerns surrounding Aadhaar have been growing of late.

According to government data, nearly 164 government websites were hacked in 2015. Between November 2016 and June 2017, a total of 50 cyber incidents affected 19 financial organisations, Union minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said.

A recent report by Deloitte on Cyber Regulation in Asia Pacific states that while the government’s Digital India is a good initiative, it does need a cyber security framework.

Ahir further said that the government has set aside Rs 1,000 crore for a research and development fund for cyber security. The funds will be used for upgrading technological capacity over the next five years.

Recently, a report quoting WikiLeaks data said that devices used to record biometric data for Aadhaar could have been compromised.

However, the UIDAI denied of any such leak and said that the biometric information is protected by best available security measures. The government said that the data is stored in UIDAI servers that are fool-proof. The data centres are protected physically as well as hardware and the devices are checked multiple times to ensure safety.

12021 - Lucknow: Gang involved in making fake Aadhaar cards busted, 10 arrested - Hindustan Times

Lucknow: Gang involved in making fake Aadhaar cards busted, 10 arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has claimed to have busted a gang allegedly involved in preparation of fake Aadhaar cards.

INDIA Updated: Sep 10, 2017 17:49 Ist

Press Trust of India, Lucknow

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has claimed to have busted a gang allegedly involved in preparation of fake Aadhaar cards.

Ten people have been arrested, including kingpin of the gang Saurabh Singh, from Kanpur. Singh was arrested yesterday from World Bank Colony in Barra locality, an STF official said here.

The fingerprints and retina scans on the fake Aadhaar cards were of the members of the gang. They resorted to this method to complete the biometric parameters, he said.

During the raid, the STF seized papers with fake fingerprints, and finger and retina scanners.

The STF swung into action after the UIDAI deputy director lodged a police complaint in Lucknow, the official said.

The gang used to hack biometric security settings of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) through cloned fingerprints and tamper application client source for preparing the fake Aadhaar cards, he said. SMI SNE ANB

11838 - Crime branch video records accused preparing fake currencies - TNN

Crime branch video records accused preparing fake currencies

TNN | Updated: Aug 20, 2017, 10:55 AM IST

NAGPUR: The crime branch sleuths on Saturday video recorded the manner in which the racketeers, now in police custody till August 23, prepared the fake Aadhaar cards and currency notes for distribution in several districts, including Hingoli, in the last couple of months. The video recording will be used as an evidence against them for preparing fake currency notes and Aadhaar cards. 

Two more persons involved in the racket, apart from the five already in custody, are now under radar of the crime branch for playing the role of suppliers who took the fake notes to Hingoli. The five accused have been identified as Mohd Ikrar, Mohd Zeeshan, Abdul Rajik, Ashish Sathe and Shoaib Khan. Sathe helped his accomplices in editing the Aadhaar cards. 

The racketeers, who operated from Awasthi Nagar chowk-based mobile shop owned by Ikrar, were nabbed on August 17. Hingoli police got whiff of the racket after they seized fake currency worth Rs90,000 from two persons at Mominpura. The racketeers, including Ikrar, earlier worked as auto-dealers, police said. 

Ikrar and his gang have already admitted their involvement in supplying the fake currency notes to Hingoli but refused to divulge more before the cops.

A senior officer said the fake currencies prepared by the racketeers appear to be almost similar to that of the original ones. "The gang has been using various types of papers to bring almost similar feel of the fake notes," the officer said. 

LATEST COMMENT

Special team should be formed with a dedicated task to ensure the entire racket should be unearthed and put behind the bars.

Soumitra Bose

"The gang is not cooperating with police during the interrogation. We believe that they have their networks in other districts also and were in the process of spreading it across the state," said a senior officer.

He further said the investigation in the case is likely to gather pace after the probe enter the advanced stage. "At present, police are trying to assimilate maximum number of evidences against the gang," said the officer and ruled out of any international or anti-national link of the racket.

11831 - Bangladeshi national held with fake Indian passport, Aadhaar, PAN cards - TNN

Bangladeshi national held with fake Indian passport, Aadhaar, PAN cards

Ishita Bhatia | TNN | Aug 20, 2017, 11:08 PM IST

Meerut: Special Task Force (STF) of UP Police on Sunday claimed to have arrested a Bangladeshi national from city’s Falavada area. The foreign national, Abu Hanaan, was nabbed during a drive against foreigners staying illegally in India. 

Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Alok Priyadarshi and superintendent of police (SP) Brajesh Kumar are heading the drive.

“Bangladeshi resident Abu Hanaan has been staying in Meerut’s Falavada area for long. He had managed to acquire local residential proof from nagar panchayat, on the basis of which he also got an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID,” Priyadarshi said.

“During questioning, Hanaan told us that he had run away from his house in Bangladesh and entered India illegally several years ago. He worked in different shops in Kolkata, Bihar, Delhi and Ludhiana. In 2006, he married one Shabana – a resident of Falavada. It was with the help of her parents that he got a residential proof, which further helped him in getting an Indian passport, Aadhaar card, PAN card and voter ID," he said.

His wife, Shabana, currently works at a beauty parlour in Saudi Arabia and is set to return soon.

Police said that Hanaan was making efforts to purchase a land and construct a house here. A case has been filed against him under relevant sections of IPC and investigation is going on. He will be deported soon, police said.

11206 - ATS nabs 11 impersonators, forged Aadhaar cards recovered - - TNN

ATS nabs 11 impersonators, forged Aadhaar cards recovered

TNN | May 1, 2017, 05.39 AM IST

UDAIPUR/JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Anti-Terrorist Squad on Sunday busted a major impersonation racket in BSTC examination and arrested 11 persons from different examination centers in Udaipur and Jalore on Sunday morning. Several forged documents, including Aadhaar cards were recovered during the inspection. 

The sleuths of ATS and districts police nabbed five fake candidates from Udaipur examination center and six others were arrested from Jalore. The ATS arrested Prakash, Rajuram, Ganpat, Kamlesh and Suresh, all residents of Sanchore of Jalore district from Udaipur centers, while Krishna Ram, Madan Lal, Pyari Devi, Darshan Pal, Manju and Bhima Ram were arrested from Jalore district by local cops. 

ATS's additional SP Ranu Sharma told TOI that examination was conducted by the Kota University. The ATS had received specific information about a widespread impersonation racket where candidates were attempting to write exams on behalf of others, using forged identification cards; a team was formed to raid the examination centers. 

"The timing for the exams were scheduled between 2 and 5 PM. We waited till the candidates began filling their OMR sheets in order to catch them red-handed," Sharma told TOI, adding that accused in Udaipur were caught with fake Aadhaar cards from various examination centers under the jurisdiction of Dabok, Pratap Nagar, Hathipole and Ambamata police stations. 

According to Sharma, one of the accused who was caught, confessed during the primary interrogation that his wife was also writing the exam in Jalore using a fake identification card. The ATS handed over the accused to police stations concerned for further investigation into the matter. 

"We had the information about several candidates writing exams on forged papers. Therefor raids were conducted across several places simultaneously. We are zeroing in on the main kingpin of the scam who provided fake admit card and Aadhaar card to candidate," Ranu Sharma told TOI. 

The candidates were offered money to impersonate another candidate, to avoid the vigil of the examination invigilators, the admit cards were carefully tampered with. Sharma told TOI that her team is also tracing the suspects who forged the documents.

"People who forged Aadhaar cards are being traced and the probe into the case is ongoing," she said. 

Initially, the ATS had arrested three people from Jalore, but the district police too carried probe and booked six more person on the directions of district SP Kalyanmal Meena later in the day. The accused have been booked under section 420 (Cheating) 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation) of IPC and Rajasthan public examination (prevention of unfair means) act of 1992.

After the Rajasthan police's special operations group (SOG) exposed the question paper leak scam, the recent crackdown of ATS on impersonators sitting in Basic School Teaching Course (BSTC) is likely to see several more people being quizzed for their alleged role in the scam.

11177 - Jobless engineer made over 100 fake Aadhaar cards - TNN

Jobless engineer made over 100 fake Aadhaar cards

Parth Shastri | TNN | Apr 28, 2017, 06.28 AM IST

AHMEDABAD: When Sola police investigators questioned Nilesh Mistry, 36, who was caught from his residence in Sector 6 of Chanakyapuri in Chandlodia on Wednesday evening, they were surprised to learn that Mistry not only faked Aadhaar cards for those volunteering for clinical trials, but himself volunteered for trials. 

Sources said that Mistry claims to have volunteered in clinical trials for past nine months to earn some extra money to supplement his earnings. 

"It was during his tours to different trial facilities that he met a group of youths volunteering for clinical trials. It is believed that he has made over 100 fake Aadhar cards for other volunteers to beat the three-month guideline where they cannot appear for other drug trials," said an investigator. 

"Primary questioning revealed that Mistry is a software engineer. During the 2007-08 economic slump he lost his job. He used to earn about Rs 35,000 at that time," said an investigator. 

"From then onward, it was downward spiral for him. He worked for a government organization on contract for about five years, and later joined a private firm. He was earning about Rs 15,000 in his last job in 2015, after which he started freelancing," the investigator said.

"Members of his peer group have appeared for clinical trials in companies based in Gota, Dholka, Ambli, Changodar, Prahladnagar, Thaltej and Vadodara. It is yet to be ascertained whether he had any role in connecting the youths from different states with the companies," said an investigator. 

"As of now, we got to know of the two pharma companies' trial facilities where he used to volunteer," the investigator said.

Top Comment

Who said Aadhaar cannot be faked and used. If some one can use the fake Aadhaar card, credibility of Aadhaar Card is questionable. GOI should issue Identity Card with security features like Driving Licence Card in North America. Until then stop using Aadhaar cards unless biometric is verified along with it.

Truth Speaker

How Aadhaar cards were faked

Investigators said Mistry used to take a photograph of the original Aadhaar card, upload it on his computer, change the name and sometimes the number of the card and then get its printout on good paper. He would also get it laminated to give it the look of an original. The trick worked, as according to his claim, except a few companies, none went for verification of the card number.

11160 - Fake Aadhaar card racket busted: Seven arrested - TNN

Fake Aadhaar card racket busted: Seven arrested

TNN | Updated: Apr 27, 2017, 05.59 AM IST

AHMEDABAD: Sola police late on Wednesday night busted a racket engaged in making fake Aadhaar cards, at a house in the Chankyapuri locality in Ghatlodia. Police sources said though they have recovered five fake Aadhaar cards from the seven accused, they suspect a larger racket, with links in other states like Maharashtra, UP and MP. Inspector C L Solanki of Sola police station said they seized a computer, photographs and documents, which the accused used to make the fake Aadhaar cards. 

"We have arrested Nilesh Mistry of Chankyapuri, Vrushabh Kale of Washim district in Maharashtra, Saurabh Pande of Ghazipur, UP, Dilip Jagani of Nikol in Ahmedabad, Anand Pandey of Hoshangabad in MP, Chandrasinh Solanki of Bhavnagar and Mahesh Nindhot of Washim," added Inspector Solanki.

Police sources said they suspect that fake Aadhaar cards made by the accused were used to open bank accounts, especially after demonetization. Some of the accused also used the cards to undergo clinical trials repeatedly.

Police sources said they received a tip-off and raided the house in Chankyapuri. "We have sealed the premises. We are also checking several photographs found at the premises," added a police source. 

Senior police sources said they have also informed their counterparts in Maharashtra, UP and MP, as most of the accused belong to these states.

"It came to light during interrogation that they were running the racket since December 2016," added a senior police official.