Systemic loophole in nabbing forgers: Senior cop

Speaking to inspectors and sub-inspectors on how they identify forged documents, they tell us that the training they receive is not enough to put the individual behind bars.
Aadhaar Cards. (File Photo | PTI)
Aadhaar Cards. (File Photo | PTI)

BENGALURU: Public documents such as Aadhar cards, driving licences and voter IDs getting forged isn't new, but getting hold of the perpetrators is harder than we thought, especially when there are grey areas in the system itself.

Additional commissioner of police (Crime), Alok Kumar, also known as the 'Singham of Bengaluru', calls this a "loophole in the system", wherein apart from inspectors and junior officers lacking training in identifying forged documents, they are also unable to arrest the perpetrators, who get bailed in just 24 hours to a week.

Speaking to inspectors and sub-inspectors on how they identify forged documents, they tell us that the training they receive is not enough to put the individual behind bars. "The police can't act as experts here, as per the Indian Evidence Act of 1982," says B Reddy, an inspector at the Cubbon Park station. In case of a cognisable offence, the inspector will have to investigate and produce the individual in front of the magistrate, proving that the document is fake. If not, the individual can be released and the identity of the person may still be hidden, after which they can abscond.  

Reddy says that they are trained in identifying whether the document is a photocopy through the texture and by examining the signature of the document. However, the final opinion should be given by experts or concerned authorities who can verify authenticity. "If we strongly believe that the document is forged, we can take them to the station. But we have to get a written letter from the concerned authorities, which takes up to 15 days or longer," says Reddy.

"An FIR needs to be filed first before we can start investigating, but it is easy for the individual to get bail in less than a week even if he is locked up," says Varun Kumar, sub-inspector at the airport police station. Most cases involve Bangladeshi's or Nepali's with a fake voter IDs. And such cases take at least three years in the court, he adds.

"Voter ID is the easiest document to forge and with just that document, all other documents such as Pan cards can be made, creating a whole new identity," says lawyer Shakeeb Mohammed. Last year, six Bangladeshi's were caught after a factory in Ram Nagar was raided.

However, ACP Kumar says that apart from just inspectors, even the public should come forward and bring individuals to the station. In case the individual absconds, cops will be on the lookout based on the physical description, which can take time, he says.

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