Delhi Police bust gang issuing fake caste certificates, Tehsildar among 4 arrested

Delhi [India] June 14 (ANI): Delhi Police have busted a gang involved in issuing fake caste certificates (ST, SC and OBC) to applicants from non-reserved categories. Four persons have been arrested, including a Tehsildar from Delhi Cantt, Department of Revenue and Government of NCT of Delhi.

The police said that they received information about a gang creating and distributing fake caste certificates. To verify this, on March 13, 2024, a decoy applicant from the General Category was sent to a suspected person to obtain an OBC certificate. The decoy applicant received the certificate for a fee of Rs. 3,500, which was also uploaded on the Delhi Government’s Revenue Department website.

Another decoy operation was conducted on March 20, 2024, where a second applicant from the General Category obtained an OBC certificate for Rs. 3,000. Both payments were made online, and transaction details were recorded.

Based on this information, a police team was formed to apprehend the individuals behind the racket. On May 9, 2024, Saurabh Gupta, a 30-year-old resident of Sangam Vihar, was arrested. Data from his mobile phone revealed chats with the decoy applicants and various document snapshots. Gupta admitted to issuing the certificates through the Executive Magistrate’s office in Delhi Cantt.

Further investigation led to the arrest of three more individuals: Chetan Yadav, who worked at the Tehsildar’s office, Waris Ali, the civilian driver of Tehsildar Narender Pal Singh, and Narender Pal Singh himself. These arrests took place on May 14, May 22, and May 27, 2024, respectively.

According to the police, Gupta disclosed that he met Chetan Yadav in January 2024. Together with Waris Ali, they devised a scheme to earn money by issuing fake certificates from the Department of Revenue. Gupta would apply for certificates using fake documents and then share the details and application numbers with Yadav, transferring money for each case.

Yadav would forward these details to Waris Ali, who used the Digital Signature (DS) of Executive Magistrate Narender Pal Singh to approve the applications and upload the certificates on the website. The gang charged fees and split the money among themselves, including paying the Executive Magistrate.

Police have recovered significant evidence, including a laptop, mobile phones, hard drives, digital signatures, and over 100 purportedly fake caste certificates.

The investigation is ongoing to verify the authenticity of 111 caste certificates issued during the period.