Fake Birth, Death Certificates For Just ₹20, Suspected Network Surfaces In Bhopal

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 identities/details are misused) do not approach the police to lodge FIRs against the brokers.

Officials said fake certificates can reportedly be generated online for as little as Rs 20 using software that replicates the format and digital signature of BMC’s authorised certificates.

The racket came to light during an investigation into a fake passport case, after the Govindpura police approached the BMC to verify birth certificates submitted with passport applications.

A few days later, another case involving suspected fake documents surfaced when an insurance company approached the BMC to verify the death certificate of a 20-year-old woman from the Garam Gaddha area near Kishore Talkies and the railway station.

The certificate was found to be fake. Officials found that it had been generated using the same software allegedly used to create fake documents in the passport cases.

Fake portal replicates BMC digital signature

BMC officials found that the fraudulent certificates carried a replica of the registrar’s digital signature.

A comparison with the Government of India’s official portal indicated that the fake website appeared to have been professionally developed.

Officials also found that the fraudulent system did not require supporting documents and generated certificates after an online payment of just Rs 20.

Fake documents used in multiple passport applications

The probe found 30 passports linked to a single address in Dabra’s Buddha Vihar Colony and another 39 to a Math in Anna Nagar, Bhopal.

Issued between 2021 and 2023, the passports carried birth certificates purportedly issued by BMC. STF verification found the certificates were fake and absent from municipal records.

Official statement

Satyaprakash Badgaiya, registrar of the BMC Birth and Death Registration Branch, said officials frequently receive certificates that appear genuine on the surface but are exposed as fake when scanned through the official portal.