In a classic case of identity theft, a possibility often denied by the Centre and UIDAI, Aadhaar details of nearly 300 people were stolen and their pension money was swindled, in Hyderabad, said a report by The Logical Indian with reference to The New Indian Express.
The Hyderabad City police estimated that around Rs 40 lakh was stolen in this manner by three fraudsters since mid-2015. The accused, Mohammed Abdul Khader Nakshbandi Aziz, Shaik Sabbir Hussain and Md Aslam were working in the government sector. They have been arrested. Mohammad Abdul Khader was employed at SBI kiosk customer service point in Kummarwadi, Md Aslam was a junior assistant with Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited in Nalgonda district and Shaik Shabbir Hussain was a former e-seva operator.
The trio misused Aaadhaar details of other people to obtain their pension money granted under the Aasara Pension Health Scheme, said the Hyderabad city police. Chavan Dashrath, a resident of Falaknuma, lodged a complaint on Thursday, stating his 12-digit UID number was misused to swindle his pension money. This brought the incident into the light. Dasarth lodged a complaint on October 26, saying that his Aadhaar Number was being misused, as he was receiving messages from Asara scheme about deposit and withdrawal of money.
Upon further enquiry, the police found out that Aziz and his associates had downloaded Aadhaar numbers from the internet. They opened bank accounts through an SBI kiosk in Edi Bazar. The police assume that 300 such fraudulent accounts have been opened with fictitious names and addresses. These accounts have been used to swindle money.
The three accused then posed as officials authorised to process the Asara Pension health Scheme for senior citizens at the Bandlaguda Tahsildar Officer. They further collected the money posing as government officials authorised to sanction the money among the beneficiaries. Deputy Commissioner Avinash Mohanty said, “They have cheated the government and the public. They have swindled money to the tune of Rs 40 lakh.”
According to a report by The Indian Express, ACP Chief Sanjay Rao said, “Mohammed Abdul Khader Nakshbandi Aziz and his team members opened nearly 300 fake bank accounts using fake credentials and fictitious addresses. They cheated the government to the tune of Rs 40 lakh. All three of them have been arrested.”
