A probe into the irregularities in the Madhya Pradesh constable examination has revealed an elaborate fraud involving manipulation of Aadhaar biometrics and an intricate web of aspirants, “solvers” and officials at the Aadhaar updation kiosks.
In 2023, the MP Employee Selection Board (MPSEB) conducted the examination for recruitment of 7,411 constables in the state police. The fraud unraveled when the joining process began last month during which the biometrics of the selected candidate were being verified to identify the person who wrote the exam, officials said. It took two years for the joining process to begin as the final result was delayed due to the 2023 assembly election, 2024 Lok Sabha election and a court case on OBC reservation.
“During a physical examination, authorities found a few suspects who did not look identical to the pictures in their Aadhaar card but their biometrics were correct,” deputy inspector general of police (selection and recruitment wing) Virendra Singh said.
But it was hard to believe that the biometric system was breached, he said.
{{/usCountry}}But it was hard to believe that the biometric system was breached, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The recruitment wing then wrote to police authorities across the state to check for any such discrepancies and make a list of suspects.
“Impersonation was revealed when the district authorities matched the photos and videos taken at the centre with candidates who came to join the post,” he added.
Police identified two masterminds — Shyam Meena and Amitabh Rawat — who arranged “solvers” for the written exam and fit men (different from the “solvers”) for the physical test by altering fingerprints at a cost of ₹10 lakh per candidate. The breakthrough came after a student, Sonu Rawat, and a “solver”, Satendra Rawat, arrested on May 19 revealed the involvement of Meena and Rawat.
Morena superintendent of police Sameer Saurabh said a man from Chhattisgarh and another from Sheopur provided Meena and Rawat with kiosk IDs to access the updation process through an unauthorised system.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which maintains Aadhaar data, allows updating finger prints multiple times to improve their quality. According to rules, a minimum of 78% of finger prints must rematch while updating.
During interrogation, Meena and Rawat revealed that they misused this facility by having the candidate provide impressions of fingers to meet the 78% requirement and the solver would provide thumb impressions, Saurabh explained.
“Once the Aadhaar was updated, the solver would reach the examination centre and provide thumb impressions for biometric validation, enabling them to appear in the exam on behalf of the candidate,” the Morena SP said.
Further, the accused ensured that the candidate provided a hazy picture to make it difficult for examination officials to recognize them.
The system used by MPESB relies on UIDAI’s authentication technology which was manipulated, said an officer requesting anonymity.
So far, the police have identified 30 suspects who updated their Aadhar Cards at least two times within three to four days ahead of the written exam in 2023.
“In 20 cases, the data, including the photo of the person who took the exam and the person who came to join, was found to be different. Similarly, thumb impressions of all candidates were found to be different from those who took the exam,” said Singh.
At least 20 FIRs have been filed and 13 people, including four candidates, three solvers, and two Aadhar Card updation kiosk operators, have been arrested, Singh said.
The MP police has now written to UIDAI urging them to not allow unlimited updates.
“We have written to all district police authorities to check the Aadhar Card updation history of all candidates since 2023. In case of any doubt and frequent update, a red flag should be raised against the candidate by including him in a list of suspects,” Singh said.
While an officer from the MP unit of UIDAI said that a probe into the matter is ongoing, UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said that this wasn’t a case of a systemic flaw but misuse of protocol.
“It wasn’t a flaw in the system, but a case of misuse. Aadhaar operators, in collusion with others, exploited the system by illegally updating fingerprints with those of different individuals. The biometric authentication is all a tech operation, no manual intervention. The breach happened not because of a technical loophole, but due to deliberate manipulation by people entrusted with operating the system. Involvement of UIDAI officials is highly unlikely, as the entire process is technology-driven with no manual intervention from UIDAI offices. Anybody sitting in our office cannot change anything. The operator has allowed the fraudsters to mix the biometrics,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, MPESB is trying to employ the use of iris recognition for candidates at examination centers, said board director Saket Malviya.
“We have a very full proof system to check the credentials but now we will use iris recognition at the centre,” said Malviya.
The highest number of arrests has been made by Sheopur police, who found that a solver took ₹3 lakh per candidate and wrote the exam on behalf of at least 10 candidates, Sheopur police investigation officer Dinesh Rajput said.
Rajput said that there could be a larger operation at work here.
“It was an organized gang operating across the nation to rig exams where authorities rely on biometrics up-dation. After fixing the deal for ₹10 lakh, the gang members approached solvers in Bihar, MP, and UP. The solvers took ₹3 lakh per candidate, including all travel expenses such as flight tickets and hotel stay. A man from Chhattisgarh, Abhijeet Banjara, provided kiosk IDs to Surendra Kushwaha, a resident of Sheopur, who ran the Aadhar unauthorised up-dation kiosk, using AnyDesk,” Rajput said.
Police have arrested three solvers — Ranjan Kumar from Paliganj in Patna, who has been selected in a government teacher exam in Bihar; Satendra Rawat from Morena, and Ganesh Meena from Sheopur — who appeared in exams for at least 13 candidates.
Gwalior superintendent of police Dharamveer Yadav said five FIRs have been registered in Gwalior, but it appears to be the tip of the iceberg of a large fraudster nexus. “The probe is ongoing, and more people will be found after the arrest of Amitabh Rawat and Shyam Meena,” Yadav said.