Beware, there are already fake UID numbers floating about in Bangalore

The city police on Wednesday arrested five persons for issuing unique identification (UID) bearing fake Aadhaar logos and numbers.

Ironically, the arrests were made on the day the state government issued an order directing all its departments to insist on Aadhaar numbers under the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as identity and address proof from citizens availing utility services.

The exposure of the scam casts doubts on the Centre's claims about the UID issuing exercise being foolproof.

The police said the accused persons in the fake UID case have been identified as Pranesh, 34, of Girinagar; Changa Raju, 37, of Hosakerehalli; Shivananda Sharma, 30, a native of VV Mohalla, Mysore; Poornananda, 35, of Puttenahalli main Road in JP Nagar; and Shankar Saravanan, 32, of NGEF layout.

Three others allegedly involved in the case are absconding. They have been identified as Vinay Chawla, Anand and Karthik.
The arrests took place after officials of UIDAI filed a complaint with the city police regarding some miscreants issuing fake UID numbers.

Ashok Lenin, deputy director of UIDAI (Regional Office), had filed the complaint against Global ID Solutions, alleging that it was illegally issuing IDs bearing Aadhaar logos.

The police registered a case on July 11 (Crime No. 114/11) under provisions of sections 419 (Punishment for cheating by impersonation), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The police raided the premises of Global ID Solutions in the basement of a shopping complex on 80 Feet Road at Hosakerehalli in Banashankari III Stage and arrested the five persons.

The police have launched a manhunt for the three absconding persons. A printing machine and over 1,000 fake ID cards and other documents were recovered from Global ID Solutions' premises.

Lenin said he learnt about the illegal ID card scam when ten persons from North Karnataka approached the UIDAI office in Khanija Bhavan on Race Course Road and complained to the officials.

The complainants informed the officials that Global ID Solutions was selling franchises to customers to take up Aadhar enrolment by charging a non-refundable sum of Rs2.5 lakh per enrolment kit, Lenin said in his complaint to the police.

The police produced the arrested persons before the 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court on Tuesday and have been remanded in judicial custody.

UIDAI (Regional office) Deputy Director General, Ashok Dalwai, said that the authority had taken adequate measures to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of individuals under the UID scheme.

Senior police officials refused to divulge details about the role played in the scam  by the accused persons, saying that the ongoing probe might be hampered if details were divulged.