LUCKNOW: Barely a few paces from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow, fearless touts at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) promise and deliver anything for a price. They even conjure up a name uncannily similar to that of deputy CM Brajesh Pathak .
When this reporter visited the Vidhan Sabha Marg-based Ratan square complex to test a widely rumoured tout racket, he was in for many surprises. The crowded Aadhaar Kendra had touts lurking everywhere, among them three young women in their mid-20s who were also part of the syndicate.
One such tout, who identified himself as Rajesh, approached this reporter. "I'm from Bakshi Ka Talab area and a huge admirer of deputy CM Brajesh Pathak. I wish to change my name from Brijesh Pathak to Brajesh Pathak, but there are no documents to support this," the reporter dropped the bait. "Ho jayega (it will be done)," Rajesh nodded.
The tout got down to work. He pulled out his phone, downloaded a real voter ID (EPIC) of another Brajesh Pathak from Badaun, pasted the reporter's photo on it, and added a fake barcode. Within minutes, he booked an instant Aadhaar update appointment - at 12:50 pm - the same day. "Go straight to the verifier. No questions will be asked," Rajesh assured, pocketing Rs 1,500 via UPI.
Inside the Aadhaar Seva Kendra, the script unfolded exactly as promised. The verifier at counter-5 barely glanced at the forged documents. At 2 pm, "Brajesh Pathak", along with nearly 20 others who sought touts' help, was called - ahead of genuine applicants. The reporter was directed to counter-22, where a young woman operator mechanically processed the update, taking his iris scan. In less than an hour, a fake identity was born. The reporter was embedded in a team of officials who had gone to carry out checks at the ASK after reports swirled about IDs being fabricated.
For the last five years, the ASK in question has been operated by Smart Chip Private Limited , the Indian subsidiary of French multinational IDEMIA group.
After the successful sting operation, TOI contacted the group's officials for comment on the rigged system at Lucknow centre. But after waiting for a day, an official IDEMIA source said: "Since we are under contract of UIDAI (govt agency which issues Aadhaar), we cannot comment." However, the source acknowledged that there were indeed a few staff at Ratan Square ASK allegedly involved in malpractices. But still, Smart Chip Private Limited has no mandate to check documents.
A day earlier, the UIDAI regional office of Lucknow, too, had sent at least two decoys to the Ratan Square ASK, and found that touts in connivance with Smart Chip Private Limited staff were involved in malpractices.
Speaking to TOI, Prashant Kumar Singh, deputy DG of UIDAI (Lucknow region), acknowledged the matter. "A recent surprise inspection at ASK Ratan Square revealed irregularities, prompting a decoy operation on April 21 that uncovered the modus operandi. The matter has been escalated to the agency concerned for probe and filing an FIR. We assure all UIDAI's backend quality checks verify document genuineness, rejecting any fake submissions.."
When this reporter visited the Vidhan Sabha Marg-based Ratan square complex to test a widely rumoured tout racket, he was in for many surprises. The crowded Aadhaar Kendra had touts lurking everywhere, among them three young women in their mid-20s who were also part of the syndicate.
One such tout, who identified himself as Rajesh, approached this reporter. "I'm from Bakshi Ka Talab area and a huge admirer of deputy CM Brajesh Pathak. I wish to change my name from Brijesh Pathak to Brajesh Pathak, but there are no documents to support this," the reporter dropped the bait. "Ho jayega (it will be done)," Rajesh nodded.
The tout got down to work. He pulled out his phone, downloaded a real voter ID (EPIC) of another Brajesh Pathak from Badaun, pasted the reporter's photo on it, and added a fake barcode. Within minutes, he booked an instant Aadhaar update appointment - at 12:50 pm - the same day. "Go straight to the verifier. No questions will be asked," Rajesh assured, pocketing Rs 1,500 via UPI.
Inside the Aadhaar Seva Kendra, the script unfolded exactly as promised. The verifier at counter-5 barely glanced at the forged documents. At 2 pm, "Brajesh Pathak", along with nearly 20 others who sought touts' help, was called - ahead of genuine applicants. The reporter was directed to counter-22, where a young woman operator mechanically processed the update, taking his iris scan. In less than an hour, a fake identity was born. The reporter was embedded in a team of officials who had gone to carry out checks at the ASK after reports swirled about IDs being fabricated.
For the last five years, the ASK in question has been operated by Smart Chip Private Limited , the Indian subsidiary of French multinational IDEMIA group.
After the successful sting operation, TOI contacted the group's officials for comment on the rigged system at Lucknow centre. But after waiting for a day, an official IDEMIA source said: "Since we are under contract of UIDAI (govt agency which issues Aadhaar), we cannot comment." However, the source acknowledged that there were indeed a few staff at Ratan Square ASK allegedly involved in malpractices. But still, Smart Chip Private Limited has no mandate to check documents.
A day earlier, the UIDAI regional office of Lucknow, too, had sent at least two decoys to the Ratan Square ASK, and found that touts in connivance with Smart Chip Private Limited staff were involved in malpractices.
Speaking to TOI, Prashant Kumar Singh, deputy DG of UIDAI (Lucknow region), acknowledged the matter. "A recent surprise inspection at ASK Ratan Square revealed irregularities, prompting a decoy operation on April 21 that uncovered the modus operandi. The matter has been escalated to the agency concerned for probe and filing an FIR. We assure all UIDAI's backend quality checks verify document genuineness, rejecting any fake submissions.."
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