Police in Bisrakh busted a gang involved in a fake documents racket

Police arrested seven people on Friday in connection with an alleged fraudulent operation that involved opening bank accounts and passports using false notarized documents and lease agreements, officials said on Friday.

The operation came to light when investigators traced passport applications submitted online to fictitious addresses.

The main accused in the case, identified as Sachin Jouhari, ran a shop where he and his accomplices fabricated rental agreements and used them to change addresses on Aadhaar cards and open bank accounts, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Shakti Mohan Avasthy. .

During the raid on the store, Bisrakh Police Station officers recovered 14 official seals of various departments, 98 notarized tickets, a forged lease agreement and a passport issued at a false address. Additionally, law enforcement agencies seized five computer kits, a fingerprint scanner, two Aadhaar cards with different addresses but the same name, a PAN card, two passbooks, five mobile phones, 10 notaries and a laptop.

“The investigation revealed that Jouhari was providing illegal services for a fee ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹18,000, making it easier to submit passport applications through direct interactions with officials. Thanks to this, passports were issued quickly and without mandatory police verification,” Avasthyid said.

The police also arrested Virendra Kumar Garg, who allegedly produced forged notarial powers of attorney, which played a key role in creating fake documents.

Investigators believe the group has been operating for two years and has processed over 500 passport applications, of which about 100 have passed police checks.

Among those arrested was Virendra Kumar Garg, who allegedly provided forged, notarized authorizations to forge documents. The accused also included two people – Vinod Kumar and Sanjeed Day – who reportedly used fake documents to secure passports for an event in Dubai, despite being residents of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The case involved numerous charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including BNS 318(4) (forgery of documents), BNS 338 (fraudulent activities), BNS 336(3) (abuse of official seals), BNS 340(2) (forgery identity), BNS 341(1)(2) (conspiracy to commit fraud), BNS 61 (unlawful notarial) and BNS 3(5) (corruption) and in various sections of the Passport Act.