Delhi Police cracked down on illegal immigrants and ID fraud networks after deadly Pahalgam terror attack
NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent Indian tourists, the Delhi Police have launched a comprehensive search operation targeting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan residing in the capital. This crackdown has also uncovered the dubious activities of several Aadhaar and PAN card enrollment centres operating in Delhi. To tighten citizenship verification, Delhi Police will now only accept voter ID cards or passports as proof of Indian citizenship for suspected foreign nationals. Aadhaar, PAN, and ration cards are no longer considered valid documents following a central directive, after many illegal immigrants were found using forged or fraudulently obtained identity papers. The move aims to prevent misuse and strengthen verification protocols. The operation has also cast a spotlight on the questionable practices of several Aadhaar and PAN card enrollment centres. Though these centres appear legitimate, investigations have revealed that many are complicit in generating forged identity documents for financial gain. These fake documents, which include Aadhaar and PAN cards, often resemble genuine government-issued credentials but contain manipulated information such as false names, altered dates of birth, and fabricated addresses—designed to suit clients seeking to falsify their identities. According to a senior police officer who spoke to The Sunday Guardian, the role of these centres in perpetuating identity fraud is substantial and cannot be overlooked. He noted that these centres often accept forged supporting documents to submit applications through official channels and, in some cases, are believed to have unauthorised access to the Aadhaar update system. This access is misused through the use of pre-recorded biometric data or impersonation tactics to create fraudulent records. The officer further emphasised the need to expand the scope of the investigation to include these document centres and conduct detailed audits of their operations. He recommended that centres found guilty of such malpractices should face strict legal consequences. Taking strong action against these facilitators is essential, he stressed, to restore the credibility of India’s identity verification infrastructure and prevent the recurrence of such fraudulent schemes. Another senior Delhi Police official corroborated this viewpoint, adding that the decision to mandate voter ID cards or passports came after authorities repeatedly encountered illegal migrants—primarily from Bangladesh and the Rohingya community— who had obtained Aadhaar, PAN, and ration cards to falsely claim Indian citizenship. He also mentioned that some individuals possessed UNHCR cards issued to Rohingya refugees, further complicating the verification process. Consequently, the Centre decided to tighten citizenship verification norms by requiring either a voter ID card or an Indian passport as mandatory proof. In one enforcement action, the Delhi Police dismantled a significant network involved in the fraudulent updating of Aadhaar credentials through forged documents and biometric impersonation. Acting on credible intelligence, officers from the Police Post Turkman Gate under PS Chandni Mahal in the Central District raided a shop located at 1054, Gate Ram Kishan Das, Chitli Qabar, Delhi, and apprehended a 26-yearold suspect named Ashish, a resident of Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. During the search, police recovered a large cache of fake identity documents, including 121 Aadhaar cards, 73 counterfeit PAN cards—some with fake holograms—181 voter ID cards, multiple birth certificates, educational mark sheets, and seven blank voter ID cards. They also seized three laptops and six hard disks containing specialised software used for document editing and image manipulation. Further interrogation revealed that Ashish had been impersonating legitimate Aadhaar enrollment operators by using fabricated rubber thumb impressions and pre-recorded iris scans. He admitted to using the biometric data of a woman named Renu from Kotla Vihar Phase-II to gain unauthorised access to the Aadhaar system. Ashish also disclosed the names of two accomplices—Toshif and Firoz—who operated from a nearby shop and were responsible for producing forged documents to aid clients in making unauthorised updates to their Aadhaar profiles, including changes to names, dates of birth, and addresses. Acting on this information, the police arrested two more individuals: Satish alias Jimmy, 36, a resident of Uttam Nagar, from whom a laptop containing templates for fake documents was seized, and Md Firoz from Gali Garhaiya, Daryaganj, whose statements confirmed his role in preparing forged documents for Aadhaar-related fraud. Meanwhile, Toshif remains at large, and law enforcement agencies are continuing efforts to trace and apprehend him. The gang created fake documents such as birth certificates, PAN cards, and voter IDs to fraudulently update Aadhaar data using stolen biometric details of genuine operators. This unauthorised access has raised serious concerns, given Aadhaar’s crucial role in government and financial services, threatening the integrity of the KYC process and increasing the risk of large-scale identity fraud. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Aadhaar Act at PS Chandni Mahal, and the investigation is ongoing to identify all those involved.