Mumbai: Probe Finds 87,347 Bogus Birth Certificate Entries, BMC Orders Citywide Audit

Mumbai, May 2: A shocking probe by the Health Department has exposed a massive racket in Mumbai’s civic system, with 87,347 bogus birth certificates allegedly issued to Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya residents, pointing to deep-rooted manipulation of official records.

Acting on the findings, the civic vigilance department has been tasked with an audit of birth and death registrations across all civic wards to uncover the full scale of the fraud and identify those responsible. Kirit Somaiya, a BJP leader and former MP, has submitted a written complaint against the BMC at the Azad Maidan Police Station.

During an ongoing drive to identify illegal Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya residents in Mumbai, civic authorities have uncovered a major irregularity involving the issuance of fake birth certificates to undocumented migrants.

A probe by the BMC’s Health Department revealed that Medical Health Officers (MOHs) were bypassing the mandatory Civil Registration System (CRS) portal and instead using the outdated SAP-CPWM system to manipulate birth and death records—openly flouting guidelines set by the Registrar General of India and exposing serious breaches in oversight and accountability.

Probe finds thousands of bogus entries

The probe revealed a staggering 87,347 bogus entries made through the SAP system between 2024 and 2026, raising alarm over possible large-scale misuse of official records.

Of these, 30,507 were recorded in 2024, the number surged sharply to 49,705 in 2025, and another 7,135 cases were logged in 2026. The report, detailing these irregularities, has been recently submitted to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide.

After these violations were detected across multiple parts of the city, as per the recommendation of the report, the civic body will now initiate a phased transfer of MOHs across all 24 wards, citing the ongoing Census work as a contributing factor.

In parallel, the civic vigilance department will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive investigation into birth and death registration records across all wards to determine the extent of the discrepancies and identify those responsible.

Transfers and inquiry planned

"As per the recommendations of the inquiry report, MHOs from K West- Andheri, R/North - Dahisar, and E - Byculla are slated for immediate transfer in Phase 1. The roles of MHOs, senior medical officials, and District Registrar Office personnel will also be restructured to ensure a more balanced distribution of workload,” said a senior civic official.

Earlier, the BMC had suspended two MHOs and two birth registration clerks in the M/East ward, while cancelling 237 certificates on the CRS portal. The civic authorities have also called for the suspension of MHOs in L (Kurla) and E (Byculla) wards. 

Earlier, the BMC had suspended two MHOs and two birth registration clerks in the M/East ward, while cancelling 237 certificates on the CRS portal. The civic authorities have also called for the suspension of MHOs in L (Kurla) and E (Byculla) wards.

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Meanwhile, Somaiya stated that if the police fail to complete the required legal procedures within the next seven days, they would consider approaching the Bombay High Court for appropriate legal recourse.

In February, upon assuming office as Mumbai Mayor, Ritu Tawde directed authorities to remove illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya hawkers from public spaces, after which enforcement action against undocumented immigrants was stepped up.

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