Meerut: A panchayat assistant in Bareilly allegedly used a village development officer’s login credentials to issue more than 300 fake birth certificates without the required verification, police said.
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Birth and death certificate applications are normally verified by the civic body or gram panchayat concerned before officials process them, but police said Vishal bypassed the procedure and charged applicants varying amounts. SHO Santosh Kumar said, “The investigation will establish who received the certificates, why they were issued and how much money was allegedly collected. Vishal Kumar , posted at Bijamau panchayat office, allegedly obtained the login ID and password of VDO Naresh Kumar Rathore and used them to process certificates through his Jan Seva Kendra. The alleged fraud came to light after Rathore grew suspicious and ordered an internal inquiry, which found that certificates had been issued not only in Nawabganj tehsil but also in nearby areas, indicating that the operation extended beyond one jurisdiction. Download the TOI App.
Block development officer Mahendra Chandra Shakya lodged a complaint at Hafiz Ganj police station on Friday.