Over 10k bogus birth certificates issued in Thane

Addressing the media at the UMC headquarters, Somaiya said the issue surfaced after an alleged fake birth certificate scam involving nearly one lakh certificates came to light in Mumbai over the past year.

THANE: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Friday alleged that more than 10,000 bogus birth certificates may have been issued by civic bodies in Thane district, including the Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Ulhasnagar municipal corporations.

Over 10k bogus birth certificates issued in Thane

Somaiya visited the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) offices in connection with the alleged fake birth certificate racket. He met officials and urged the civic bodies to conduct a detailed probe and initiate action.

Addressing the media at the UMC headquarters, Somaiya said the issue surfaced after an alleged fake birth certificate scam involving nearly one lakh certificates came to light in Mumbai over the past year.

“Following the scam, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT). According to the SIT’s interim findings, nearly 20,000 certificates were allegedly issued in the names of fake individuals,” Somaiya said.

He claimed that information received by him indicated that over 10,000 bogus birth certificates could have been issued in Thane district alone, with the names of more than 6,000 certificate holders already identified.

Somaiya further claimed that Pune could also have more than 15,000 suspected bogus birth certificate cases and said he would visit the city on Tuesday to gather more information.