Over Dozen 'Munna Bhais' Busted In Madhya Pradesh; Booked In Police Recruitment 2023; Aadhaar Manipulation Rock Exam

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A huge scam in MP Police Recruitment has come to the light, where a gang of scammers replaced pictures of students on their Aadhaar card. .

The imposters manipulated the Aadhaar details of the actual applicant to deceive authorities, but their plan failed and their wrongdoings have been exposed, officials said on Monday. Authorities noted that Aadhaar update history is essential during the appointment process.

The Employee Selection Board conducted a written examination to fill 7,090 constable posts, followed by a Physical Proficiency Test administered by the police department. Final results were recently declared, and the appointment process has begun.

The Police Headquarters (PHQ) received a confidential complaint alleging that several candidates had forged Aadhaar cards and hired solvers -‘Munna Bhai’-  to clear the examination on their behalf. Acting on the complaint, PHQ directed all districts to verify candidates’ documents. As verification progressed, one by one, the imposters began to be identified and exposed, said officials.

An investigation has uncovered a fraud network operating across several districts in Madhya Pradesh, including Gwalior, Morena, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Shahdol, and Alirajpur. At the center of the scheme were Aadhaar centers in Bhitarwar, Morena, and Sheopur, where biometric data was illegally manipulated.

In one shocking instance, a single impersonator—known as a "solver"—is believed to have appeared in exams on behalf of six different candidates. Out of those, five successfully cleared the exams. These solvers, many of whom came from Bihar, charged hefty fees ranging from ₹4 to ₹5 lakh per student. In some cases, the total deal value reached up to ₹15 lakh.

So far, authorities have arrested twelve individuals in connection with the scam, including solvers, fake candidates, and Aadhaar operators.

Candidates re-updated Aadhaar after exam

In most cases, the imposters updated the Aadhaar card of the applicant with their own photo and fingerprint keeping the number unchanged. Thus at the examination centre the biometrics matched with the impersonator, allowing him to appear for the exam.  

After the exam, the original candidates re-updated their Aadhaar with their own photo and fingerprint and then reported for joining using the updated version of their Aadhaar card.

Character certificate and Aadhaar history mandatory

ADG Selection Sonali Mishra talking to Free Press said that as of the last week, around two dozen FIRs had been filed against the fraudsters.

“Now, every selected candidate must submit a character certificate, and officials have been instructed to check the Aadhaar update history during document verification. If any irregularity is found, an FIR will be registered,” she added.