Uttar Pradesh investigators widened scrutiny into organised digital forgery networks after the state’s Special Task Force detained five individuals accused of operating a structured fake-document generation system. The operation, according to police briefings, was not a small manual forgery setup but a technology-driven enterprise that leveraged custom websites, cloud-hosted databases, and online learning material to fabricate official-looking birth and death certificates. The STF identified the arrested men as Lal Bihari, Ravi Verma, Sonu Verma, Banshraj Verma, and Satyarohan. Their collaboration allegedly enabled the creation and distribution of thousands of counterfeit certificates used by unknown beneficiaries across multiple districts.
Authorities stated that the first breakthrough came in Lucknow when Lal Bihari was detained based on intelligence inputs regarding suspicious digital certificate activity. His arrest reportedly led to actionable information, which then guided officers to the Gonda district for additional detentions. STF teams carried out sequential raids that resulted in the recovery of identity-linked documents, forged certificate printouts, devices used to store and transmit data, payment cards, and a WagonR vehicle believed to be used for operational mobility. Police listed 14 Ayushman cards, 25 fabricated birth certificates, multiple fake death certificates, mobile phones, ATM cards, and approximately Rs 27,000 in cash among the seized items. A hard disk was also recovered for forensic analysis.
Investigators described the gang’s methodology as based on publicly accessible technical knowledge rather than sophisticated hacking. The accused allegedly relied on Google search, YouTube tutorials, and basic AI interfaces to design websites that imitated legitimate municipal and state portals. These platforms were reportedly hosted using easily available online tools and linked to cloud databases, enabling the suspects to submit client details and generate downloadable digital documents styled to resemble official certificates. Initial estimates issued by officials suggested production of nearly 1,40,000 forged birth certificates and approximately 2,500 forged death records.
Police reports indicated that the forgers charged between Rs 600 and Rs 1,000 for each document, suggesting a steady revenue model aimed at volume transactions rather than high-value fraud. The STF noted that investigations would now extend toward identifying the end-users of the forged documents and determining whether the certificates were used to obtain government benefits, claim insurance payouts, manipulate demographic records, or facilitate employment or identity changes. Cyber-forensics teams are expected to examine server logs, financial trails, and communication records to establish scale and linkages.
Legal proceedings will likely involve sections pertaining to cheating, forgery of government-style documents, cybercrime provisions, and criminal conspiracy. Administrative departments responsible for issuing legitimate civil records may conduct parallel audits to identify weaknesses in verification processes. The case highlights continued use of low-barrier digital tools in document fraud and reinforces reliance on coordinated policing, data forensics, and cross-agency verification to track and neutralise such operations.
